Grads welcome an uptick in hiring

0 Comments | USA TODAY, April, 2005 | by Barbara Hagenbaugh

WASHINGTON -- College seniors are experiencing the best job market in four years, but hiring for soon-to-be graduates is still nowhere near the dot-com boom of the late 1990s.

Employers plan to increase their hiring of college graduates by more than 13% this year, the second consecutive yearly rise and the biggest gain since 2001, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), a non-profit group linking college career officers with employers.

Salaries are also up for most college majors, according to NACE. But the days of large signing bonuses, stock options and major on-campus recruiting blitzes are still a distant memory. Some 182 employers went to Rutgers University's main job fair in January, up 14% from a year ago but still below the...