WASHINGTON — The consulting and accounting firm EY is aggressively recruiting on college campuses this spring. The company formerly known as Ernst & Young plans to hire 9,000 graduates from U.S. universities this year, up from 7,500 in 2014. But recruiting isn’t as easy as it used to be.
“I’m seeing a lot more competition” from rival employers, says Dan Black, EY’s Americas recruiting leader.
That’s good news for college seniors and graduate students preparing to accept diplomas this spring and a sign that new graduates will fare better than they did in 2014. The Labor Department reported Thursday that the unemployment rate for Americans in their 20s who received a four-year or advanced degree last year rose to 12.4 percent from 10.9 percent in 2013.
“This is a real breakout year,” said Philip Gardner, director of Michigan State University’s Collegiate Employment Research Institute.
In a survey of employers last fall, the employment center found that the hiring of graduates with four-year degrees will rise 16 percent this year.
“It’s led by the ones you would expect — engineering and business,” Gardner said.
