GREEN BAY, WI (WLUK) — New college grads are staring at a job market that is far more open than in recent generations.
The Great Resignation may be taking a current toll on employers struggling to hire. Now, with many college graduations happening around the state, some might say that it’s the glimmer of hope those companies have been looking for.
Tabatha Zwicky is officially a University of Wisconsin Green Bay graduate.
On Saturday, she walked the stage to earn her bachelor’s degree in English.
Her next step being the work force.
“I’m looking in the publishing industry,” said Zwicky. “I want to go into books, publishing and editing.”
Graduates like Zwicky are entering a job market eager for workers.
“There’s obviously a huge shortage in the labor market,” said UWGB Chancellor Michael Alexander. “That’s part of what we’re doing as a university by trying to fill that need.”
According to the U.S. Labor Department, employers added 428,000 jobs in April.
The agency adds there were around 11.5 million open jobs at the end of March, the highest on record.
“We’ve added a lot of degrees like engineering, nursing and education, ” said Alexander. “The kind of degrees where we know there are big shortages to make sure we are filling in the gaps there.”
The National Association of Colleges and Employers says companies plan to hire about 31.6% more college graduates.
That’s comparing hiring trends from 2021 to 2022.
Max Zeddies, an urban studies major, says it was easy for him to get a job before walking the stage.
“I probably applied to about four to five,” said Zeddies. “I found out about this one. I had a few interviews and I got a call back within the first week.”
And for graduates still looking, Zwicky says this:
“I hope that it won’t take too too long, it’s kind of just trying to find the right one for me.”
More than 1,100 students graduated in UW-Green Bay’s 2022 spring commencement ceremony.
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