Based on their forward-looking staffing plans for the upcoming year, it appears employers are expecting similar or higher levels of recruiting activity this year, according to preliminary results of NACE’s Summer 2022 Quick Poll on Fall Recruiting and Career Services.

If employers were expecting a recession imminently, they would respond in an opposite fashion, pulling back their recruiting activity. Furthermore, just one-fifth of responding employers (and one-third of responding career centers) said they are preparing to pivot their plans, should the need arise, in response to a surge in COVID and/or monkeypox this fall.

Virtual remains a viable vehicle for recruiting college students and delivering career services. At this point in the survey, employers report that nearly one-third of recruiting will still be virtual. In addition, career centers report that one in five of their career fairs will be held virtually.

The hybrid approach remains very strong. Preliminary data show that 97% of schools have reported they will provide career coaching/counseling both in person and virtually, while nearly 70% of schools report interviews will be conducted both in person and virtually.

In terms of the college recruiting cycle, about one-quarter of employers have changed the cadence of their recruiting schedule, with an overwhelming majority of these respondents—90%—starting earlier in the season.

Additionally, more than half of employers are including first- and second-year students in their recruitment of interns, although just 6% indicate they will be hiring more of these early college students as interns this academic year and 80% say they will hiring the same number.

To facilitate planning and benchmarking for both employers and career centers, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) is conducting a quick poll that looks at fall recruiting as well as how career services offerings will be delivered. The poll will also examine how recruitment and career services delivery have shifted over time. The polls run August 22 through September 20, 2022, and results are offered in real time.