A recent survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) reveals that employers are eager to hire 7.3% more graduates from this upcoming class compared to last year’s graduates.
This promising shift comes after a challenging year for new college graduates in the job market.
Shawn VanDerziel, NACE’s president and CEO, expressed that this uptick in hiring is largely driven by employers focusing on succession planning, ensuring a robust talent pipeline, and supporting company growth.
Among the employers participating in the Job Outlook 2025 survey, 27% are looking to boost their hiring this year, while a solid 57.1% plan to maintain their current hiring levels.
Even more encouraging, over 40% of these employers are preparing to raise salaries for bachelor’s degree graduates.
“Additionally, more than half of employers are considering signing bonuses to attract those high-demand candidates,” VanDerziel added.
The data for this survey were gathered from August 5 to September 16, 2024, and included insights from 237 companies—162 of which were NACE member employers, making up 19.2% of eligible responses.
Non-member companies contributed an additional 75 responses, providing a well-rounded view of the market. You can explore the comprehensive results of the Job Outlook 2025 survey, including downloadable slides, on NACEWeb.
NACE is committed to connecting over 13,000 college career services professionals, more than 3,800 early career talent acquisition experts, and over 400 business solution providers.
They play an essential role in forecasting job market trends, tracking salaries and recruiting practices, and understanding student attitudes and outcomes, while also sharing best practices and benchmarks.
Get the 2025 forecast of employer hiring intentions related to new college graduates in the latest edition of NACE’s Job Outlook survey! For the first time, the full survey results are available in a handy presentation deck that is FREE for everyone! https://t.co/fko192f7Po pic.twitter.com/lvpcI4ERfA
— National Association of Colleges and Employers (@NACEOrg) November 18, 2024
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