Despite a reeling economy, the job market for college grads is robust, as companies prepare for an expected wave of Boomer retirements. The Chicago Tribune’s Barbara Rose reports that corporate recruiters have “continued to swarm onto college campuses. Career fairs sold out, as employers scrambled to get in front of seniors who hadn’t locked up jobs, as well as sophomores and juniors looking for internships.” Many job candidates report getting multiple offers, and recruiting specialists expect the strong market to persist over the next several years, no matter what happens with the economy. Fueling the market is employer fear of getting caught short-handed as Boomer retirements accelerate. The smaller GenX group coming up behind Boomers won’t fill the gap, so employers want to start grooming the next generation of talent now.

Recruiters probably should calmn down a little, since many Boomers won’t be rushing for the exits unless they’re pushed…and many will be available to work in new flexible consulting arrangements for years to come. Still, as the parent of college-age children, it’s nice to know the job market’s looking good.

Also see…

• Management consultant Bill Byham on brain drain.

• Korn/Ferry survey on re-careering.

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 16th, 2008 at 8:03 am and is filed under Careers, Economy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.