Survey Shows Where the Jobs Are

More than half of the 2,000 employers surveyed nationwide by CareerBuilder said they plan to hire college graduates this year. Asked which college majors were most in demand at their firms, similar to last year, companies responded that business and technical majors topped their list:

• Busines: 31%
• Computer and Information Science: 24%
• Engineering17%
• Health Professions and Related Clinical Science: 10%
• Engineering Technologie: 9%
• Math and Statistic: 9%
• Communications Technologie: 7%
• Education7%
• Technologie: 6%
• Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanitie: 6%

To help determine the hottest areas for hiring for the graduating class of 2013, CareerBuilder analyzed active job listings on its site for entry-level positions. For purposes of the study, an entry-level job was defined as: 1) requiring two years of experience or less, and 2) requiring a two-year or four-year college degree or equivalent certification.

Industries with the largest year-over-year growth for entry-level jobs include:

• Advertising55%
• Computer Software37%
• Accounting and Finance36%
• Hospitality36%
• Automotive /Motor Vehicle: 25%
• Sales and Marketing21%
• Training21%
• Not for Profit /Charitable17%
• Retail16%
• Healthcare /Health Service: 16%

Nearly half of employers also reported they would pay recent college graduates $30,000 to $49,999 this year, and 25% reported they would pay $50,000 or more. When asked what factors would be negotiable when extending a job offer to a recent college graduate, more than one-in-four employers said they would consider increasing salaries:

• Salary27%
• Flexible schedule22%
• Academic reimbursement for additional schooling16%
• Bonu: 14%%
• Cover costs of mobile phone13%
• Cover relocation expenses – 12%
• Telecommuting option: 9%

CareerBuilder also analyzed the top occupations and the top locations for recent college grads.

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