Employers Expect to Maintain Hiring for Class of 2021 College Graduates

Although college hiring has been hard hit by the pandemic, steps employers have taken have allowed them to blunt its potential full impact, according to a survey of 158 members of the National Association of Colleges and Employers and 69 non-members. Hiring for Class of 2021 graduates is expected to edge down just 0.1 percent compared with 2020. In several employment sectors, organizations are increasing their college hiring, which is helping to drive the overall hiring outlook. While more than half of respondents expect to maintain their hiring level from last year, 31 percent of responding employers expect to decrease their hiring this year — a jump from just 6.3 percent that intended to shrink their hiring for Class of 2020 graduates. Meanwhile, 16.5 percent are planning to increase their hiring this year, which is down from 45.5 percent last year.