The job market is starting to look a little better for one select group of young people, the Los Angeles Times' Larry Gordon reports. The National Association of Colleges and Employers and the Collegiate Employment Research Institute project hiring of new college graduates to rise 9.5 percent and 7 percent, respectively, this year, and:
Unemployment among college graduates up to age 24 dropped from 9.8% in February 2011 to 8.1% last month, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. But that is well above the 4.6% in 2008. February's unemployment rate for the same ages with just a high school diploma was 22.5%.
College students who have watched their friends struggle to find work after graduation are responding by intensifying their pre-graduation job searches and being more willing to move for work, career counselors suggest. But the most flexible and intense search possible can only be successful if there are jobs, and right now, the improved hiring atmosphere is such that a campus job fair at Cal State Long Beach:
[...] attracted more than 90 potential employers, about 50% more than last year. About 5,000 students, many of whom had swapped their T-shirts and sandals for a more formal look, handed out resumes...
The fact that more than 90 potential employers and about 5,000 students are anecdotal evidence of good news is anecdotal evidence of just how bad things have been. But that is the story of so many parts of our economy right now—finally, there are signs of improvement, but even for the groups benefiting from that improvement, like college graduates, better still isn't good enough. And too many groups are being left behind.
