Fifty-four percent of employers reported they plan to hire recent college graduates in 2012, according to a new study from CareerBuilder and CareerRookie.com. That number is up from 46 percent in 2011 and 44 percent in 2010.

Among college majors, business was most in demand at 39 percent, followed by technical majors like computer and information sciences (24 percent) and engineering (23 percent).

“This is the first time since the recession that we’re seeing a majority of employers planning to add recent college graduates to their employee roster,” said Brent Rasmussen, president of CareerBuilder North America. “Companies across industries are placing a strong emphasis on recruiting fresh talent for technology-related roles and positions designed to drive revenue — and they’re willing to pay more for high-skill, educated labor.”

The national survey, which was conducted by Harris Interactive from Feb. 9 to March 2, 2012, included more than 2,000 hiring managers across industries and company sizes.