Employers plan to hire 31.6% more new college graduates from the class of 2022 than they did from the class of 2021, according to a report released Thursday by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. That’s up from a similar report last fall that found employers planned to increase hiring by 26.6%. NACE also noted many positions are hybrid or remote.
“Fueling this surge is the fact that we’re seeing hiring increases across a variety of industries,” said Shawn VanDerziel, NACE executive director.
The organization noted that 16% of companies reported their hiring plans to call for increases of 100% or more. The oil and gas extraction industry led the way with the largest increase; it plans to hire 105.9% more grads from the class of 2022 than the class of 2021.
NACE’s report also found that 40% of employers plan to offer hybrid work — a mix of in-person and remote — while 18% of positions will be fully remote.
VanDerziel said employers appear to have recognized the benefits of remote work.
“While it may be too early to proclaim the shift to the blended approach to work is here to stay, the hybrid modality does provide a level of flexibility that is appealing to many employees, seasoned as well as new hires,” he said. “This, coupled with the fact that employers have been able to vet their employees’ ability to operate remotely during the pandemic, suggests the hybrid modality could well be the new normal.”
NACE’s report is based on a survey of 196 companies and took place between February 2 and March 11.