SALT LAKE CITY -- For the past several years, the job market has been a scary place for college graduates across the country. But now things are starting to look up, especially here in Utah.
The time is here for thousands of college students across the state to put on their cap and gown and finally get the degree they’ve worked years for. And there is good news for the graduates of 2014: employers are planning to hire
“It’s a great time to be living in Utah, and we have more opportunity for our students than I believe almost anywhere else in the nation,” said Dr. Winn Stanger, Director of the Weber State University Career Center.
The U.S. Department Labor said the unemployment rate for 2013 college graduates was 10.9 percent. But Utah rates are much lower than the national average
“We’re at 3.9 percent unemployment in the state, so that’s far better than most parts of the United States and third best in the nation,” Stanger said.
And although grads may not land their dream job right away, employers are hiring more college graduates and offering higher wages and better benefits
“They’re kinda hitting the perfect storm where the economy is growing and booming and jobs are being created,” Stanger said.
But even though more employers are hiring in Utah, those at WSU’s career services says it’s still vital for grads to be persistent in their job search.
“We’re done, there’s no more being a kid, we’re done with school, no more and you just have to go hit the market,” said Spencer Boyce, a WSU senior.
Spencer Boyce started his job search last fall and is graduating Friday with a bachelor’s degree in business marketing and already has a job lined up.
“It did surprise me because I have some experience but not a whole lot, but to have a lot of interest in my resume was shocking and exciting,” Boyce said.
And while it may be hard for some students to land their first big job, the class of 2014 has it better than students who graduated a year ago, according to college placement officers.
