Spotlight for Career Services Professionals
August 17, 2016
How graduating students perceive the college hiring market is reflected in what they plan to do immediately after leaving school. For the Class of 2016, 69 percent of bachelor’s degree graduates planned to enter the work force and 25 percent planned to continue their education, according to results of NACE’s Class of 2016 Student Survey.
In addition, 6 percent anticipated taking time off. All of these numbers are similar to last year’s graduates. (See Figure 1.) In fact, there has not been much movement since 2008.
At the peak of the pre-recession market, 73.3 percent of students planned to enter the work force and 21 percent planned to continue onto graduate school. As the job market rapidly shrank in the immediate wake of the recession, graduate school became a more common pursuit.
In 2009, 65.7 percent of students planned to enter the work force and 29 percent planned to continue their education. Since then students have been gradually drawn back to the work force—albeit, not in large numbers—and away from graduate school.
Moreover, the more specific paths of students who planned to enter the work force have also shifted over the last several years. (See Figure 2.) Perhaps bolstered by an improving job market, students since 2010 have become increasingly drawn to a private sector job—already the most common path of employment—and less drawn to a nonprofit sector job or a teaching position. Opting for a government job or an entrepreneurial venture (i.e. starting a business) in particular have remained far less common.
NACE’s 2016 Student Survey was conducted February 16 – April 30, 2016; more than 23,000 students at colleges and universities nationwide took part, including 5,600 graduating seniors. The survey report will be available in September.
Figure 1: Post-graduation plans of graduating seniors: 2007-2016
| Class Year |
Post-Graduation Plan |
| Enter Work Force |
Continue Education |
Take Time Off |
| 2007 |
73.3% |
21.0% |
5.7% |
| 2008 |
68.6% |
26.2% |
5.2% |
| 2009 |
65.7% |
29.0% |
5.3% |
| 2010 |
67.3% |
28.4% |
4.3% |
| 2011 |
67.9% |
26.6% |
5.5% |
| 2012 |
68.2% |
26.8% |
5.0% |
| 2013 |
67.4% |
26.1% |
6.5% |
| 2014 |
67.2% |
26.2% |
6.6% |
| 2015 |
68.6% |
25.7% |
5.7% |
| 2016 |
68.5% |
25.1% |
6.4% |
Source: Class of 2016 Student Survey, National Association of Colleges and Employers
Figure 2: Labor force interests of graduating seniors planning to enter the work force: 2010-2016
| Class Year |
Labor Force Interest |
| Private Sector |
Nonprofit Sector/Teaching |
Government |
Own Business |
| 2010 |
52.7% |
33.0% |
11.8% |
2.5% |
| 2011 |
56.3% |
31.8% |
9.4% |
2.5% |
| 2012 |
57.7% |
31.7% |
8.6% |
2.0% |
| 2013 |
56.8% |
31.1% |
9.5% |
2.5% |
| 2014 |
59.5% |
28.6% |
9.2% |
2.8% |
| 2015 |
56.2% |
30.1% |
11.4% |
2.2% |
| 2016 |
60.0% |
27.1% |
10.5% |
2.4% |
Source: Class of 2016 Student Survey, National Association of Colleges and Employers