Employers plan to hire 10.7 percent more graduates from the Class of 2019 than they did from the Class of 2018 for positions in the United States, according to a new report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

The projection reported by NACE employer members responding to the Job Outlook 2019 Spring Update survey is down from the 16.6 percent increase that they originally projected in fall 2018, but the current projection is still very encouraging. (See Figure 1.)

Both fall and spring hiring projections for Class of 2019 graduates are in the double-digits, making this the first time since 2011 that this has occurred.

Another sign of the positive results this year: Just one year ago, respondents were planning an overall decrease in college hiring of 1.3 percent.

Figure 1: Job Outlook Hiring Projections by College Class, 2011 – 2019*

Source: Job Outlook 2019 Spring Update, National Association of Colleges and Employers. *The projections for the Classes of 2014 – 2019 are for U.S. locations only. Prior years’ projections are shown for informational purposes only and should not be compared to projections for 2014 – 2019