New hires for Class of 2022 college grads are soaring
College hiring continues to surge as employers plan to hire 31.6% more new college graduates from the Class of 2022 than they hired from the Class of 2021, according to a new report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). Many of these new hires will work, at least partly, in a remote capacity as NACE’s Job Outlook 2022 Spring Update report also found evidence of the shifting work modalities in a landscape that is emerging from the pandemic.
The current hiring projection is up 5% from their original hiring projections last fall, when employers responding to the Job Outlook 2022 survey indicated plans to hire 26.6% more new graduates from the Class of 2022 than they did from the Class of 2021. (See Figure 1.)
“Fueling this surge is the fact that we’re seeing hiring increases across a variety of industries,” explains Shawn VanDerziel, NACE executive director.
In fact, 16% of respondents that provided their hiring numbers plan increases of 100% or more. The oil and gas extraction industry is doubling its college hires and has the largest projected increase at 105.9%.
When asked about how and where work will be performed, respondents indicated that 42% of their entry-level positions will be fully in person, 40% will be in a hybrid modality—a blend of in-person and remote—and 18% will be fully remote. This closely matches the work environments employers reported for all levels of employees. (See Figure 2.)
“Although more employers are able to return to in-person work formats, many have realized the capability and utility of working remotely during the pandemic and are giving their employees and new hires the best of both worlds,” VanDerziel says.
“While it may be too early to proclaim the shift to the blended approach to work is here to stay, the hybrid modality does provide a level of flexibility that is appealing to many employees, seasoned as well as new hires. This, coupled with the fact that employers have been able to vet their employees’ ability to operate remotely during the pandemic, suggests the hybrid modality could well be the new normal.”
–
FIGURE 2: MODALITY OF WORK, ENTRY-LEVEL AND OVERALL POSITIONS
About NACE’s Job Outlook Survey: Each year, NACE surveys employers regarding their hiring intentions for the graduating class; this is conducted in two parts—fall (Job Outlook 2022) and spring (Job Outlook 2022 Spring Update). The Job Outlook 2022 Spring Update—on which this release is based—was conducted from February 2 – March 11, 2022. Of the 196 total respondents, 160 were NACE employer members, representing 19.8% of eligible member respondents, and 36 were nonmember companies.
(Source: NACE)
~ Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Connect with Richard on Facebook and Twitter
