Economic growth has made a two-day job fair possible at Cal State Long Beach.
A press release from collegegrad.com, a job search Web site, has cited the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which indicates that the unemployment rate for recent college grads has dropped from 2.1 percent in July to 1.8 percent in August.
This year, more than 200 companies have signed on to be part of the CSULB fair scheduled for today and tomorrow. This is compared with the one-day fair of last fall when, according to Manual Perez, director of the Career Development Center, only 140 companies participated.
“We are starting to see an increase in job listings coming to our campus,” Perez said. “We’re starting to see in increase in the number of employers that come to campus.”
He said one thing the available statistics may not account for is whether or not students are working in jobs for which they studied.
“That statistic, while good, doesn’t necessarily reflect exactly what’s happening,” Robert Wendt, a career counselor, said.
While he gave no exact numbers, Perez said he expected growth to continue for the next couple of years.
“An internship, a job, they’re both two-way streets,” Wendt said.
He also said that if students are flexible, they are in a better place than those who are not.
