Odd Jobs
This spring's college graduates have mostly missed out on the economic recovery, as employers grew more conservative and cautious with their job offers, according to a survey by the College Placement Council.</br></br>Although Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan has declared the recession over, any rebound would be too late to improve recruiting prospects for the new graduates, according to the council.</br></br>"Those graduates who didn't find suitable permanent positions can take some solace from Greenspan's recent comments - there is nowhere to go but up, though employment opportunities generally lag behind economic recovery," the council said.</br></br>Skittish over the economy, employers earlier this year put hiring plans on hold and reined in salary offers, the survey found. According to the survey's July report, the average salary offers received in more than one-third of the reported curriculum areas were somewhat lower than the September 1990 figures. Fewer than half of the areas showed changes greater than 4 percent up or down.</br></br>Two areas showed greater changes: Foreign language graduates saw starting salary offers drop more than 8 percent, while petroleum engineering graduates saw theirs jump by more than 10 percent, the survey showed.