Local government jobs still lure new college graduates

By SILU GUO
Capital News Service
LANSING – For recent college grads wanting government jobs, the overall number of opportunities continues to shrink. But there is still hope — local governments in some areas are hiring more staff, according to Phil Gardner, director of research for the Collegiate Employment Research Institute at Michigan State University. “Right now, public sector jobs really depend on retirements,” Gardner said. “Government is one sector where retirements have been and are expected to provide opportunities for new graduates.”

Gardner added, “But retirements have not started in big numbers yet — unless forced.”
According to Michigan Labor Market Information, local governments in Wayne County hired 386 employees in the first quarter of 2012, ranking first among all counties, followed by Macomb and Ingham. But the total number of local government employees decreased slightly, according to Michigan Labor Market Information, compiled by the Department of Technology, Management and Budget.

More state firms hiring but below national rate

By PATRICK LYONS
Capital News Service
LANSING — Midwest employers plan to hire more recent college graduates, but at a lesser rate than the national average, experts say. Employers in the eastern Midwest — Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and Indiana — want 6 percent more new graduates than they did last year, according to the Midwest Colleges and Employers Association Regional Report on College Hiring 2011-2012. That’s less than the 10.2 percent increase expected nationwide, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers in Bethlehem, Pa. The Midwest report, by the Collegiate Employment Research Institute at Michigan State University, said hiring of those with a bachelor’s degree will rise by 9 percent in the eastern Midwest. “We have begun to see an improvement in hiring, particularly in the east side of the Great Lakes,” said Phil Gardner, director of the institute.

Bleak economy, gloomy winters drive young graduates away

BY NICK MCWHERTER
Capital News Service
LANSING- Her mind is made up. Convinced there is greater opportunities elsewhere, Samantha Parent, a Central Michigan University senior, plans to leave Michigan for Texas to look for a job following graduation. Jobs are scarce, prospects are thin and Parent is just one of many college graduates fleeing the state for warmer climates and stronger economies. Michigan residents are bolting the state for southern states such as Texas and Florida, according to recent information from the Census Bureau. This continues the state’s trend of losing residents in recent years.