Employers plan to hire 9.1% more interns this summer than last year, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

“The data in NACE’s 2023 Internship & Co-op Report underscores the value employers place on their internship programs and their commitment to them,” said Shawn VanDerziel, NACE executive director.

In comparison, employers looking ahead to the summer of 2022 had planned to hire 22.6% more interns than the previous summer. Prepandemic, employers looking ahead to the summer of 2019 had planned to hire 2.6% more interns than they did in 2018.

A separate poll by NACE found that four out of five employers said their internship program provided the best return on investment as a recruiting strategy, VanDerziel said.

“Internship programs are typically run over the summer months, with many students returning to campus with a job offer in hand for when they graduate,” he said.

The survey conducted from Nov. 9, 2022, to Dec. 31, 2022, drew responses from 221 NACE member respondents, representing 25.1% of eligible member respondents.