Jobs Requiring College Degree Increase In 2001

Jobs requiring college degrees will become increasingly common in 2001 making for a brighter employment market for college graduates, predicts University of Alabama career center director Patricia Bergmaier.

“Overall, employers expect to make nearly one-fifth of their job offers to new college graduates,” Bergmaier said. “For the next few years, the professional and technical occupations are expected to grow faster and gain more new jobs than any other occupational groups,” she added.

Bergmaier predicts the degrees most in demand for those areas will be: computer science, information systems, accounting, management information systems, business administration, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer engineering, marketing and economics/finance.

Other areas in demand will include “service” majors such as education, health care and social work.”It all relates to reflecting changes in demographics, business practices, and technology,” Bergmaier said.

“Population trends and increasing student enrollment will fuel an average increase in the overall employment of teachers, accounting for nearly one-fifth of all the job growth in professional and technical occupations,” she said. “Another example is the increased demand for healthcare and social services due to the rapid growth of the aging populations. This has lead to the spur growth for physical therapists, occupational therapists, and human service workers.”