May 2014
Featured in this insight: Business & enterprise, Education, International
Survey finds more US employers planning to hire new college graduates: According to the survey, commissioned by CareerBuilder, about three fifths (57%) of US employers say they plan to hire new college graduates this year, up from fifty-three per cent last year and forty-four per cent in 2010.
Three fifths (61%) of companies say they will be offering graduates the same starting salary as they did last year; half (56%) expect to pay them an annual salary that’s less than $40,000.
Employers say they’ll offer the following starting salaries:
- 26% say they will pay new graduates less than $30,000
- 30%, $30,000 to less than $40,000
- 20%, $40,000 to less than $50,000
- 24%, $50,000 and higher
However, among employers, two fifths (41%) don’t think that recent graduates have adequate skills for roles in customer service.
Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources for CareerBuilder, said:
“A lot of customer service is about troubleshooting, problem solving and making sure the experience for the customer is positive, and that may take a lot more skill than new graduates have."
While most employers say new college graduates are ready for the ‘real world’, a quarter (24%) feel that colleges and universities have underprepared students for positions in their companies.
Haefner continued:
"These companies may think the graduates are academically strong, but they aren't sure they are prepared for the complexity of today's jobs… Companies are asking these questions about graduates: Are they just book smart? Or will they have street smarts as well? The marketplace is evolving at a faster pace than it did in the past, and academia may not be keeping pace with technology that businesses need.”
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