CareerBuilder Releases Most In-Demand College Majors and Entry-Level Jobs with the Most Growth

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May 02, 2013, 06:00 ET

CHICAGO, May 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Which college majors stand to fare better in today's job market? Which industries and locations are seeing the most growth in entry-level jobs for college-educated workers? New research from CareerBuilder and CareerRookie shows where the jobs are and what employers are willing to negotiate in job offers for America's next generation of workers.

"More than half of employers reported they plan to hire recent college graduates this year," said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder. "College students who are graduating in business, technology and health-related majors will have an advantage in terms of the volume of opportunities available today. However, other majors such as liberal arts and sciences are also attractive to employers as they look for individuals with strong communications and critical-thinking skills."

In-Demand College Majors
In a nationwide online survey of more than 2,000 employers, CareerBuilder and Harris Interactive^© asked companies which college majors were most in demand at their firms. Similar to last year, business and technical majors are the most sought after:

1)      Business – 31 percent
2)      Computer and Information Sciences – 24 percent
3)      Engineering – 17 percent
4)      Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences – 10 percent
5)      Engineering Technologies – 9 percent
6)      Math and Statistics – 9 percent
7)      Communications Technologies – 7 percent
8)      Education – 7 percent
9)      Science Technologies – 6 percent
10)   Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities – 6 percent

To help determine the hottest areas for hiring for the graduating class of 2013, CareerBuilder analyzed active job listings on its site for entry-level positions. For purposes of this study, CareerBuilder defined an entry-level job as 1) requiring two years of experience or less, and 2) requiring a two-year or four-year college degree or equivalent certification.

Top Industries for Recent College Grads
Industries with the largest year-over-year growth for entry-level jobs (with at least 1,000 active jobs in March) include:

1)      Advertising – 55 percent
2)      Computer Software – 37 percent
3)      Accounting and Finance – 36 percent
4)      Hospitality – 36 percent
5)      Automotive – Motor Vehicles – 25 percent
6)      Sales and Marketing – 21 percent
7)      Training – 21 percent
8)      Not for Profit - Charitable – 17 percent
9)      Retail – 16 percent
10)    Healthcare – Health Services – 16 percent

Top Occupations for Recent College Grads
Entry-level occupations with the most job listings (with at least 3,500 active jobs in March) include:

1)      Registered Nurse
2)      Sales Representative|
3)      Accountant
4)      Customer Service Representative
5)      Industrial Engineer
6)      Retail Salesperson
7)      Medical and Health Services Manager
8)      Physical Therapist
9)      Occupational Therapist
10)    Computer Support Specialist

Top Locations for Recent College Grads
DMAs with the most year-over-year growth for entry-level jobs (with at least 1,000 active jobs in March) include:

1)      Phoenix – 32 percent
2)      Minneapolis – 31 percent
3)      Boston – 30 percent
4)      Tampa – 29 percent
5)      San Francisco – 27 percent
6)      Denver – 25 percent
7)      Philadelphia – 14 percent
8)      Orlando – 12 percent
9)      Houston – 11 percent
10)   Dallas – 10 percent

Can Recent College Grads Negotiate Job Offers?
In the CareerBuilder and Harris Interactive study, nearly half of employers reported they would pay recent college graduates $30,000 to $49,999 this year, and 25 percent reported they would pay $50,000 or more. When asked what they would be willing to negotiate when extending a job offer to a recent college graduate, more than one-in-four employers said they would consider increasing starting salaries:

Salary – 27 percent
Flexible schedule – 22 percent
Academic reimbursement for additional schooling – 16 percent
Bonus – 14 percent
Cover costs of mobile phone – 13 percent
Cover relocation expenses – 12 percent
Telecommuting options – 9 percent

Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive^© on behalf of CareerBuilder among 2,184 hiring managers and human resource professionals (employed full-time, not self-employed, non-government) between February 11 and March 6, 2013 (percentages for some questions are based on a subset, based on their responses to certain questions). With a pure probability sample of 2,184 one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- 2.1 percentage points. Sampling error for data from sub-samples is higher and varies.

About CareerBuilder®
CareerBuilder is the global leader in human capital solutions, helping companies target and attract great talent. Its online career site, CareerBuilder.com®, is the largest in the United States with more than 24 million unique visitors, 1 million jobs and 50 million resumes. CareerBuilder works with the world's top employers, providing resources for everything from employment branding and talent and compensation intelligence to recruitment solutions. More than 10,000 websites, including 140 newspapers and broadband portals such as MSN and AOL, feature CareerBuilder's proprietary job search technology on their career sites. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company and The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI), CareerBuilder and its subsidiaries operate in the United States, Europe, South America, Canada and Asia. For more information, visit www.careerbuilder.com

Media Contact
Jennifer Grasz
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SOURCE CareerBuilder