2011 College Grads Face Optimistic Job Market, According to Beyond.com Report

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Beyond.com, Inc., the world’s largest network of niche career communities, today released its Fourth Quarter 2010 Career Trend Analysis Report, which revealed that the largest percentage of online job postings are for positions with less than one year of experience, capturing 78 percent of all postings across the network. This represents more than a 13 percent jump compared to entry-level job postings from one year ago, indicating a healthy uptick in the creation of jobs, particularly for this new generation entering the workforce.

“2011 graduates are entering a better job market than the last few graduating classes have experienced”

According to the Beyond.com quarterly report, which gathers information across thousands of top-tier industry and local career sites, open entry-level positions are most prevalent in Houston, New York and Los Angeles, respectively. This is good news for the Class of 2011, as entry-level job seekers face a more optimistic job market than seen in previous years, with the NACE Job Outlook 2011 report indicating that surveyed employers plan to hire 13 percent more new college graduates this year than they did from the Class of 2010. The top 10 industries for entry-level jobs include:

1) Clerical & Administrative
2) Sales & Sales Management
3) Merchandising, Purchasing & Retail
4) Arts, Entertainment & Gaming
5) Customer Service
6) Management & Business
7) Accounting & Finance
8) Information Technology
9) Healthcare & Medical
10) Engineering & Architecture

“2011 graduates are entering a better job market than the last few graduating classes have experienced,” said Rich Milgram, CEO of Beyond.com. “As we continue to come out of the recession many companies will have a tendency to build from the bottom up, hence the increase in available entry-level jobs. Additionally, these revived opportunities seen at the entry-level are a good indicator that the economy as a whole will continue to grow.”

Overall, the Beyond.com quarterly report shows that more than 70 percent of industries experienced a percentage gain in job postings over the previous quarter, showing a steady improvement for the employment outlook on a whole. The Healthcare & Medical industry continues to hold the top position, capturing nearly 34 percent of online job postings. Information Technology experienced a slight increase this quarter, jumping to the number two spot for online jobs with more than 9 percent. Other top industries for all online jobs include Accounting & Finance (more than 8 percent), Sales & Sales Management (8 percent) and Merchandising, Purchasing & Retail (7 percent).

To view the complete Career Trend Analysis Report and Industry Outlook Reports for fourth quarter 2010, please visit http://www.Beyond.com/Media/QuarterlyReports.asp.

About Beyond.com, Inc.

Beyond.com is the world’s largest network of niche career communities, providing access to thousands of top-tier industry and local web sites. Our career search services and networking tools enable job seekers and employers to create targeted connections across thousands of online communities. We deliver a one-of-a-kind recruitment solution that provides the targeted exposure of a specialized job board, reinforced by the breadth and volume of a larger career network. Beyond.com was named to Inc. Magazine’s prestigious ‘Inc. 500’ list and is a Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. (NYSE:SFE) portfolio company. www.Beyond.com.