Career Advice & News Center

The economic downturn had a negative effect on the majority of Americans, but one group that suffered a substantial blow was college graduates looking to land their first jobs out of school.

With fewer employers hiring and many more laying off a significant portion of their workforce, many college graduates were forced to take internships or volunteer positions to bide their time after graduating.

However, this trend appears to be shifting back in favor of these college students, as the prospects for obtaining a job have begun to improve with the optimism shown by employers across the country.

According to the Baltimore Sun, two recent national surveys indicated that companies are expecting to hire more college graduates than they did last year. Additionally, college career centers are indicating more interest from employers and graduates with majors that are deemed "in-demand" are receiving a number of offers, the news source said.

Companies polled in a recently released survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) said that they plan to hire 19 percent more new college graduates than they did in 2010, the first double-digit year-over-year increase for spring hiring expectations since 2007.

"Employers are looking to bring in entry-level workers to build their work force," particularly in the fields of customer service, information technology, sales, finance, accounting and marketing, Brent Rasmussen, president a career site, told the news source. "Companies … need fresh, educated talent to fill those roles."

According to NACE, the number of job applications that were sent to employers increased 45 percent this spring over last year, with the number of openings tripling. Employers in the majority of the industries surveyed by the association said they expected to ramp up hiring in double-digit numbers, according to the news source.

The news source reports that one such company looking for recent college graduates to fill their available tech jobs is Systems Alliance Incorporated, a consulting firm that designs websites. The company has been forced to hire new workers, including college graduates, in order to keep up with growing business from its clients, according to the Sun.

"Obviously, hiring a more junior resource tends to be somewhat more economical than a more experienced person commanding a higher salary," Mark Dabrowski, vice president of the company's Web effectiveness practice, told the news provider.