According to a job outlook report, employers expect to hire 26.6% more new graduates from the Class of 2022 than they did from the Class of 2021.
CHARLOTTE, NC – Employers are looking to hire more new college graduates than the year before, according to a National Association of Colleges and Employers employment outlook report.
The report says employers plan to hire 26.6% more new graduates from the Class of 2022 than they did from the Class of 2021.
the UNC Charlotte Career Center works to prepare graduates for the job market.
“Right now it looks great,” said Patrick Madsen, executive director of the UNC Charlotte Career Center. “There are more jobs than there are graduates in the whole country, and of course, in this field as well.”
According to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, new university graduates are entering the job market with 11.3 million openings. In comparison, it is almost double the number of unemployed. In March, the BLS estimated that there were about 6 million unemployed.
The UNC Charlotte Career Center sees the lack of available workers creating more opportunities for future college graduates.
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“I’ve seen a lot of students who get multiple offers,” Madsen said. “They make the decision between what makes sense for their world today and what brings them the greatest value.”
Madsen said today’s job seekers are looking at more than finances.
“And often it’s not about the money, it’s more about ‘Do our values match?'”
Madsen said he sees demand in data science, technology, computing and human services. Above all, he sees a need for social workers, counselors and psychologists.
He encourages employers to brighten up their job listings to attract future college graduates, who care a lot about company value and career stability.
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Charles Graham, Jr. is the Past President of the Senior Class at UNC Charlotte. He graduates in May with a full-time job offer already in place. Even so, he is still considering all his options in the financial sector.
“I think I have the potential to find my dream job. I know what it would be or with what company it would be,” Graham said. “So I think it’s over there, and I think it’s calling me.
The Class of 2022 have taken the punches of the pandemic by switching to virtual school and following pandemic protocol. Graham said he believed that was part of what would make this class of great employees.
“We’ve gone through a lot of adjustments over the past two years, and I feel like we’re probably one of the classes that could easily grow in any area and adapt accordingly, because we ‘ve already proven,” Graham said.
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This nimble mindset is one of the top qualities career readiness experts say employers are looking for in today’s job market.
“The academic major doesn’t matter as much these days, because they just need people who really want to work, and they can teach them a lot of these great things,” Madsen said.
Graham said the adversity college seniors have faced has prepared them for the career ascent that awaits them.
“If we’re put in the right place, the right company, we’re going to move up the ladder,” Graham said. “Next thing you know, they might run the company one day because of everything we’ve been through.”
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