Los Angeles Times (03/20/12)

The job market for this year’s college graduates appears to be on the upswing as economic forecasts show seniors will have a better shot at employment than in past years and more businesses are recruiting at campus job fairs this spring. A recent survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers found that businesses expect to hire 9.5% more college graduates this year than last, broadening a recovery since 2009 when such hiring plummeted 22%. “Hiring projections by industry indicate positive movement nearly across the board,” the report says, with the strongest demand for business, engineering, and computer science majors.

The Collegiate Employment Research Institute at Michigan State University, meanwhile, expects hiring of new college graduates to rise 7%. “Employers are now more optimistic about the college labor market than at any time since 2007,” its report states. Salaries of recent college graduates average about $36,000 a year, varying by industry and major, according to the report.