The Top 100 Employers And The Majors In Demand For The Class Of 2005

The Top 100 Employers And The Majors In Demand For The Class Of 2005 - Introduction

Baby boomers are about to retire, and the U.S. Congress is likely to revise Social Security so as to allow contributors to invest a portion of their funds in private industry through the stock market. Even if Congress does not allow private investment, the national debate on retirement through Social Security will certainly focus on the value of private investment in stocks that may affect retirement investments generally. Anticipating that several hundred thousand new people will need financial advice, financial planners are "gearing up," hiring people in services related to financial planning so as to have people and services in place when, and if, these events occur. Because every wage earner contributes to Social Security, people in financial planning must be diverse, appealing to all segments of the U.S. population. It comes as no surprise that the top employers according to our survey are those employers in the areas of financial planning and that the majors most in demand are accounting and its peripherals, i.e. marketing, management, computer science, and banking/finance. See Industry Reports: Banking in this issue. The demand for diversity will most certainly mean that African Americans in those majors can expect a good year, in spite of Dr. Philip Gardner's perception, Job Outlook for the Class of 2005, that hiring conditions in financial services are tight. Our own survey suggests that employers in financial services will be hiring in anticipation of a large number of new investors in the near future. We encourage you, however, to interpret the numbers for yourselves.

Employers continue to need graduates, e.g. engineers, salespeople, educators, and those in hospitality, criminal justice, and IT. The employment-need for educators is a consistent reminder that teachers are highly sought after, especially African-American males educated to teach in elementary schools. Programs such as "Just Call Me Mister" that recruits and trains African-American males to teach in elementary schools across the nation are creating additional pressure on school boards to hire African-American males to teach in elementary schools.

According to the survey taken by Dr. Philip Gardner, director of Collegiate Employment Research at Michigan State University, the employment indicators for this year represent a 11% increase, above last year's hiring level, in hiring of college graduates. That increase, he says, "points to the first true expansion in opportunities since January 2001. Salary ranges show little increases or modest increases of 3% to 5% over last year. Over all, his survey and that of THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine point to a good year for college graduates.

Look at the survey indicators for match-ups—your major and the employers who want to hire you. The survey of Top 100 Employers is subdivided into Majors in Demand, Top Employers by Majors and Top Employers Alpha Listing. That breakdown should give you some indication of the employers in your major that you should look to. All of these employers recruit on campus, so see your Career Services Office for specific information on recruitment schedules. When you have made your employer-contacts, do indicate to those contacts that you saw them listed in the Top 100 Employers survey of THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine.