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Job prospects for 2014 college grads improve

April 22, 2014

Job prospects are better for the undergraduate class of 2014, according to a survey of executives by Korn/Ferry International Inc. (NYSE: KFY). Of executives surveyed, 67 percent said job prospects are better for the undergraduate class of 2014 than for college grads a year ago, and 56 percent said prospects are better than they were three years ago. However, the vast majority, 82 percent, acknowledge that jobs are still harder to come by today than when they graduated.

When asked, “Is the U.S. education system preparing students to be highly competitive workers?” 44 percent answered “yes” while 56 percent said “no.” However, 77 percent said that a graduate degree — doctorate, masters, etc. — is “worth the investment.”

“An education determines a worker’s earnings for life. Increasingly the value of today’s graduate degree is the equivalent of yesterday’s undergraduate degree,” said Korn Ferry CEO Gary Burnison. “For the class of 2014 entering a workforce that is fast-changing and complex, there is a strong premium placed on those who are learning agile — the college graduates who can adapt, grow and evolve in a dynamic environment.”

The survey included nearly 200 corporate executives and was conducted from April 1 to April 14.