Spotlight for Career Services Professionals
Spotlight for Recruiting Professionals
Hiring for both internships and co-ops is expected to be down this year, although certain industries are forecasting hiring gains, according to results of NACE’s 2016 Internship & Co-op Survey.
Overall, hiring of interns is projected to be down 4.8 percent this year, while co-op hiring is expected to drop 9.9 percent. What had been a positive correlation between hiring projections for new college graduates for full-time, entry-level positions and projections for interns and co-ops in the years before, during, and immediately after the recession stalled in 2015 and then reversed in 2016. (See Figure 1.)
Still, several industries have indicated plans to increase their hiring in 2016 from 2015, including finance, insurance, and real estate; retail trade; and wholesale trade. (See Figure 2.)
Others, however, have decreased intern hiring projections, including the construction, computer/electronics manufacturing, miscellaneous manufacturing, motor vehicle manufacturing, and oil/gas extraction industries.
NACE’s 2016 Internship & Co-op Survey was conducted from November 9, 2015, to February 17, 2016, among NACE employer members; 271, or 26.9 percent, responded. The survey report will be available later this spring.
Figure 1: Hiring projections for interns, co-ops and new graduate hires, 2004-16
Source: 2016 Internship & Co-op Survey, National Association of Colleges and Employers
Figure 2: Hiring projections for interns, by industry
| Industry |
2016 Hiring Projection |
| Wholesale Trade |
14.8% |
| Retail Trade |
12.1% |
| Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate |
8.4% |
| Chemical/Pharmaceutical Mfg. |
3.0% |
| Utilities |
-0.5% |
| Computer/Electronics Mfg. |
-13.6% |
| Construction |
-15.4% |
| Oil/Gas Extraction |
-38.5% |
| Motor Vehicle Mfg. |
-43.8% |
| Mfg. (NEC) |
-44.4% |
| Overall |
-4.8% |
Source: 2016 Internship & Co-op Survey, National Association of Colleges and Employers