Industry and Type of Role Don’t Matter as Much to Recent Graduates, Survey Finds
CHICAGO – May 16, 2016 – LaSalle Network, a national staffing and recruiting firm headquartered in Chicago, conducted a survey of recent college graduates to understand what they want and expect when considering employment after graduation.
Respondents include those who have graduated (with a Bachelor’s or Associate’s degree) in the last two years and those expected to graduate in May/June 2016. Seventy-three percent of respondents are employed, and 27 percent are unemployed.
Summary of Findings:
- There is a discrepancy between what recent graduates expect to make when entering the workforce, and what they actually end up earning.
- There is a difference in what currently unemployed graduates expect to make versus what those who are employed expected upon entering the labor market.
- Forty-eight percent of recent graduates are open to temporary and temporary-to-permanent roles.
- When asked what industry they were job searching, the second-highest response was “any industry,” regardless of what they majored in.
Top Majors:
Below are the top five majors amongst survey respondents (starting with most popular at the top):
- Business (Accounting, Finance, Management, etc.)
- Social Sciences (Sociology, Anthropology, Political Science, etc.)
- Marketing & Communication (Marketing, PR, Journalism, etc.)
- STEM (IT, Engineering, Mathematics, Chemistry, etc.)
- Liberal Arts (English, Literature, Theater, etc.)
Salary Expectations: Current unemployed recent graduates expected to make more than those currently employed.
- Twenty-seven percent of unemployed recent graduates expected to make $51,000 to $70,000, while only 18 percent of employed recent grads expected to make that amount, and 81 percent expected to make less.
- Forty-four percent of employed recent graduates expected to make $31,000 to $40,000, while only 27 percent of unemployed recent grads expected to make that amount.
- Of the 18 percent of employed survey respondents who expected to make $51,000 to $70,000, 55 percent ended up earning less in their role.
What They Want:
All respondents, regardless of their employment situation, ranked benefits and compensation as the most important factor when evaluating a company. Additionally, Philanthropy came in last in importance when evaluating employment at a company.
All respondents ranked the following in importance when evaluating a position. (starting with most important at top):
- Opportunities for growth
- Work/life balance
- Training & development
- Challenging work
- Autonomy
- Ability to work from home
For more information on LaSalle Network, please visit www.lasallenetwork.com, or contact Heather Youkhana at 312-496-6562 or hyoukhana@lasallenetwork.com.
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About LaSalle Network
LaSalle Network is a leading provider of professional staffing and recruiting services specializing in accounting and finance, technology, administrative, call center, human resources, marketing, executive search, supply chain, and healthcare revenue cycle. Since its inception, LaSalle has worked with thousands of clients and placed more than 30,000 candidates in temporary, temporary-to-permanent and permanent positions. LaSalle Network has been listed on Inc. Magazine’s 500/5000 Fastest Growing Companies in America list for the past nine years, named by Staffing Industry Analysts’ as a top five “Best Staffing Firms to Work For” from 2011 – 2016, Crain’s Chicago Business’ Best Places to Work list from 2014 to 2016, and Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work” 2016. The firm has offices in downtown Chicago, Arlington Heights, Oak Brook and San Francisco. For more information, please call 312-419-1700 or visit www.lasallenetwork.com.
