The tough economic climate will make it harder for 2009 college graduates to find jobs. Moreover, those who get offers won’t see higher starting salaries than last year’s graduates, according to two new reports by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) 
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Last fall, employers reported plans to keep their college graduate hiring levels even with last year. Employers’ plans have changed as the economy has deteriorated, and they now expect to hire 22 percent fewer new graduates, according to NACE’s Job Outlook 2009 Spring Update. For those college graduates who do find jobs, their starting salaries will be nearly identical to those provided to new hires in 2008.
According to NACE’s Salary Survey, average salary offers to liberal arts graduates are virtually unchanged this year. The salary outlook is brightest for business and engineering majors. Business majors will see average starting salaries 2.6 percent higher. Similarly, most graduates of the engineering disciplines will see relatively small increases in their starting salary offers (ranging from 1.6 to 4 percent).
Graduates with computer science degrees are seeing a decrease in their average starting salary offers (1.4 percent). Despite this drop, these grads are still in demand, an indication that current economic conditions make it difficult for employers to offer more money.
The Job Outlook 2009 Spring Update study ends a string of positive hiring reports for new college graduates dating back to 2004. Employers also indicated they are not optimistic about the future, with close to half (46 percent) reporting that they are unsure about their fall 2009 hiring plans, and 17 percent already reporting that they expect to further trim college hiring.
