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Job Market for College Graduates - 3/19/15

The job market for recent college graduates continues to improve based on a survey of roughly sixty seven thousand members of the class of 2014.  Preliminary results from the National Association of Colleges and Employers’ First Destination Survey indicate that fifty three percent of bachelor’s degree graduates were employed full-time this winter. 

Another seven percent had secured part time work.  Seventeen percent were enrolled in graduate programs while nineteen percent were still seeking jobs or graduate school admission.  About four percent were self-employed, perhaps starting their own businesses.  A recent Wall Street Journal article also reported statistics from a handful of individual colleges and universities.  Those data also indicate an improvement in employment outcomes for recent college graduates. 

These data are important for a number of reasons, including because they help to inform the ongoing debate regarding the value of a college education.  Some schools question the value in surveying graduates so shortly after they depart campus, however, since many graduates choose to travel or find themselves in different ways.

Anirban Basu, Chariman Chief Executive Officer of Sage Policy Group (SPG), is one of the Mid-Atlantic region's leading economic consultants. Prior to founding SPG he was Chairman and CEO of Optimal Solutions Group, a company he co-founded and which continues to operate. Anirban has also served as Director of Applied Economics and Senior Economist for RESI, where he used his extensive knowledge of the Mid-Atlantic region to support numerous clients in their strategic decision-making processes. Clients have included the Maryland Department of Transportation, St. Paul Companies, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Players Committee and the Martin O'Malley mayoral campaign.