Those who are graduating this year will have a nice surprise – bachelors are becoming more popular among employers than they were in the previous years. And yet, not everyone will be able to raise their chances for getting a job.
More than a thousand companies operating in 20 spheres of business have taken part in a survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. The resulting report estimates the popularity of bachelors’ degrees with different employers and reveals other trends this year’s jobseekers will do well to take note of.
An MBA degree does not guarantee you will land your dream job
The survey showed that, theoretically, bachelors will be more popular with employing companies than even PhDs or MBAs. More than 80% of company representatives have confirmed that this year they will hire more college graduates than before. MBA degree holders have become less popular, with slightly more than 10% of employers looking for such people specifically. All in all, the gathered data shows that bachelors will have a wider range of jobs to choose from – no one says, though, that these jobs will be somehow better. Besides, think about the competition: if you have just a college degree, there will be more people like you hunting for not-so-demanding jobs. If you have a master’s or a PhD, you won’t have to do better than hundreds of others just to get hired.
Bachelor’s Degrees Are in Demand
The popularity of various degrees with recruiters
Data: National Association of Colleges and Employers
A major in humanities does not render you jobless
According to the same report, most popular majors with today’s employers are, of course, business, finance, engineering and IT. However, if you are a proud holder of a major in humanities, don’t despair – it doesn’t mean you have no chance of landing a much desired job. Statistically, such majors are not the most sought for, but are listed somewhere in the middle. The least wanted major was, surprisingly, health care.
Among the most popular majors engineering is at the very top. The bottom part of the list, besides health services, is occupied by education and agriculture specialists.
Employers Are Seeking Engineers
Levels of demand for each major degree
Data: National Association of Colleges and Employers
While more jobs are offered, the number of applications doesn’t increase
According to the NACE report, employers say that, though the number of vacancies in their companies increased massively compared with the previous years, there have been less applications for these prospective jobs than hoped for. That’s a good thing for you new graduates: if the number of people competing for vacancies continues to decrease, you will have a much bigger chance of getting hired.
Companies are out to hire more people
Yet the number of résumés submitted stays pretty much the same
Data: National Association of Colleges and Employers
Most companies plan to step up their recruiting
Another good thing is that the quantity of new positions advertised on the job market will continue growing, as the survey data shows. More than a half of companies claim they will hire more staff in 2015, compared with 2014. Then again, some 30% state they will have to cut down their vacancies.
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