Spotlight Online for Career Services Professionals, November 17, 2010
Spotlight Online for Employment and Recruiting Professionals, November 18, 2010
The job market for Class of 2011 graduates is "good," according to employers taking part in NACE's Job Outlook 2011 survey.
When asked to describe the overall job market for Class of 2011 bachelor’s degree graduates, the largest group—almost almost half of respondents—characterized it as “good.” In comparison, last year, the largest group viewed the job market as just “fair.” Also in the latest survey, less than 3 percent of respondents described the job market for 2011 graduates as “poor” compared with the nearly 16 percent who tagged the job market for the Class of 2010 with this label last year.
Following are some additional highlights from the Job Outlook 2011 report:
- Employers On Campus in Fall—Prior to the recent recession, the trend among employers in on-campus recruiting was, increasingly, to “front load” efforts in the fall, and use spring to plug last minute holes. Current survey results suggest a return to this pattern, with nearly one-quarter of respondents indicating they plan to complete all their hiring in the fall. What does this mean for spring recruiting? Approximately 40 percent of employers reported plans to recruit on campus in spring 2011—up from just under 30 percent last year.
- Employers to Reexamine Hiring Needs on Quarterly Basis—Regardless of their hiring intentions for the Class of 2011, employers will monitor their needs closely. Nearly half of responding employers said they will examine their college hiring needs on a quarterly basis, with almost another one-third reviewing them monthly.
- GPA Screening on Rise—With more applicants than job openings, it’s not surprising that more employers are using GPA to screen candidates. More than three out of four respondents said they will screen Class of 2011 job candidates by GPA—an all-time high. The most popular GPA cut-off is 3.0, cited by 64 percent of those who reported their cut-off and consistent with results of surveys stretching back to 2003.
NACE conducted the NACE Job Outlook 2011 survey from mid-August through October 15, 2010. A total of 172 surveys were returned for a 20.7 percent response rate.
NACE members can access the Job Outlook 2011 report here; nonmembers can click here to purchase the report.