Report: employers hiring 30% more college grads this year

According to a report from the National Association of College and Employers , this spring, employers will hire 31.6% more college graduates than they did last spring.

(FOX 9) - A new report from the National Association of College and Employers says employers will hire 31.6% more college graduates this spring than they did last spring.

Karyn McCoy, the Associate VP of Alumni Career and Corporate Engagement at the University of St. Thomas, says she’s noticing the high demand for workers as spring graduates secure jobs.

"They have one of the best markets I’ve seen in more than ten years. The demand for college graduates is extremely high. We’re hearing from employers that are still hiring, which is very rare for this time of year," McCoy said.

The survey also found that 42% of entry-level positions will be fully in person, 40 percent will be hybrid, and 18 percent will be fully remote.

"There’s a lot of opportunities out there and a ton of jobs available even across the county a lot of remote opportunities as well," said spring 2022 graduate Allie Miller. She’s graduating with a degree in supply chain and operations.

The survey also found a big change in how employers are looking at graduates’ GPAs. According to the survey, 43% of employers will screen candidates by GPA. That’s the lowest percentage ever recorded and a significant drop to 2019, when 73% of employers were screening for GPA.

More open positions and options for graduates means they have some bargaining power when it comes to pay and other benefits.

"Wages are up because there’s such a high demand so we’re still hearing from employers saying ‘can you help me? We’re still looking for candidates,’ where that may have stopped in past years maybe April, mid-April," McCoy said.