Employers hiring more new college graduates (1/2ページ)

Terry Powers will start a new career as an accountant after she graduates from Monmouth University in May.

Powers, 49, a mother of four and an office coordinator at the university's software engineering department, already has lined up a job as an entry-level accountant at KPMG's office in Short Hills, N.J.

"I knew that accounting is a wide-open field and there is a lot of demand for accountants and auditors," said Powers of Middletown, N.J. "I knew that the positions were out there."

Employers, in a rush to replace baby boomers that are set to retire, have decided to increase their ranks of employees from newly minted college graduates. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers survey released last month, employers expect to hire 8 percent more new college graduates this year then they did last year.

That contradicts the trend in the overall job market, with rising unemployment and a decline in the creation of new jobs, said Edwin Koc, director of strategic and foundation research for the association.

"A lot of companies are planning for retirements in the near future and trying to put people in the pipeline," Koc said. "They continue to hire even in a difficult economic climate simply to maintain a level of experience that will be there once these individuals retire."

But the tough economic times have hit new graduates, too. Last fall, employers projected that they would increase hiring of new graduates by 16 percent, not the 8 percent now predicted.

Still, many career placement offices are seeing interest from prospective employers.

Rutgers University in New Jersey maxed out its career fair in January with 255 employers, with some on the waiting list as well, said Richard L. White, director of career services.