WMU News

Job market booming for college grads

May 11, 1999

KALAMAZOO -- Students earning degrees this spring are finding jobs waiting for them with salaries and benefits exceeding last year's record amounts. Graduates in computer-related fields, engineering and business are seeing salaries for entry-level positions up between 3.5 and 5 percent and in many cases will have more than one offer to choose from, says Lynn Kelly-Albertson, WMU director of career services and student employment.

"We have seen an increase this year in students coming to us wanting to weigh offers," Kelly-Albertson says. "They have received more than one offer as early as December. They're not graduating until April, but they have been bombarded with opportunities. We've seen that in engineering areas and certainly in the computer-related fields."

Employers are doing more than just boosting salaries to entice job candidates, Kelly-Albertson adds. Many are offering a wide range of other benefits, including signing bonuses, continuing education and professional development and travel packages. But job market analysts predict the flood of entry-level jobs will recede by next year, Kelly-Albertson says.

Media contact: Mark Schwerin, 616 387-8400, mark.schwerin@wmich.edu


Office of University Relations
Western Michigan University
1903 W Michigan Ave
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5433 USA
616 387-8400
univ-rel@wmich.edu

http://www.wmich.edu/wmu/news