The declining economy is not only increasing the layoff rates, but it is negatively affecting the job market in other ways as well. The decreasing hiring rates in particular are impacting graduating students who are looking for employment.
Yet how severely the economy is affecting the hiring rates is unknown said Career Counselor Phyllis Bickers. Being able to determine the actual hiring rates will not be available until later.
The only thing that is known now is the long-term growth rate in all areas will be slower than it has been in more than 15 years Bickers said.
So for now Career Development Services is suggesting for students to start looking for a job earlier.
"They can start early, be more flexible, look at a variety of things they can do with their major and go to graduate school," Bickers.said.
Bickers also suggested joining the Peace Corps or a temporary post-graduate internship to help increase a student's chances of being offered a full-time position after completion of the internship.
"Some will get a job but maybe not," Bickers said. "People with a college degree will be impacted less."
Bickers said construction has been hit the hardest with business services, distribution, utilities and agricultural fields also being hit hard.
Although that does not mean that jobs in these fields are not available at all. Spearman Cobb, a senior in building science, was already able to secure a job.
"I was fortunate enough to do the co-op program through building science and was offered a job before things really got bad," Cobb said. "Many guys in my major found it very difficult to find a job and in many instances lost their co-op opportunities."
Cobb said he has noticed many companies, who have in the past 15 years consistently hired students from the collegequit hiring, and these same companies have let many recent graduates go as well.
"I've noticed that a lot of graduates are taking jobs that they wouldn't have accepted a few years ago," Cobb said. "And they have to be a lot more flexible when it comes to job location and job description."
Hiring rates for professional services, health services and government are actually expected to increase Bickers said.
"Government is expecting a high turnover from the baby boomers," Bickers said.
Bickers said positions from the CIA to NASA, to the police and homeland security will begin to open up once the baby boomers start retiring.
Other recession proof jobs are science teachers and environmental scientists Bickers said.
Bickers also said certain fields in certain states have low unemployment rates. Clean coal in Wyoming, infrastructure in Texas, think tanks in D.C. and North Virginia, healthcare in Utah and energy in Oklahoma will have jobs available.
Jordan Simmons, a senior in communications, said she does not know what she is going to do upon graduation since her major is broad rather than specific.
"I thought about going back to school, but unfortunately I thought about it too late," Simmons said.
When May comes, Simmons said she will be required to interview for various positions in different fields.
"If I had known the economy would be going bad, I would have picked a different major and taken the GRE and considered a post-graduate school in order to give me a leg up in looking for a job," Simmons said.
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