Finding a job may be easier than in years past for West Virginia Universitys December graduates.

Most signs point toward a banner year for the class of 2004-05, said Bob Kent, WVU s director of Career Services.

The labor market added a record 337,000 jobs in October and is expected to add an average of 225,000 monthly through the next quarter, he noted.

This kind of report spells economic recovery and a persistent trend toward hiring of college graduates,said Kent, who cited business growth as one factor in the stronger economy.From what we have been through since 9/11 and the fierce competition in the job market, this casts a very positive tone.

Career Services experts point to the Job Outlook 2005 survey, conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, as further proof of a more robust job market.

Some of the key findings:

  • Employers surveyed predicted a 13 percent increase this year in the number of graduates who will be hired.
  • Most respondents plan to offer their new hires higher salaries than were offered to last years graduating class.
  • Graduates with a bachelors in business, engineering and computer-related degrees seem to have an advantage.

When asked which new college grads they were likely to hire, employers were most interested in students who majored in accounting, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, business administration, and economics or finance.

Rounding out the top 10 list were students who majored in computer science, computer engineering, marketing or marketing management, chemical engineering, and information sciences and systems.

WVU Career Services on the Net:http://www.wvu.edu/~careersc/