2011 College Graduate Survey Results

Survey Background

Adecco conducted a survey regarding recent college graduates and how they are fairing in the current job market
Telephone survey of 503 recent college graduates of 4-year degree programs
- Ages 22-26
- Fielded by Braun Research
- Conducted April 01 - 10, 2011
Differences between various demographics groups were also explored:
- Gender
- Age
- Graduation Year
- Geographic Region
- Employment Status
- Living situation
Survey results have a margin of error +/- 4.37% for this sample size.

Regret Not Preparing for Job Market
Seven in 10 (71%) grads wish they had done at least something differently while in college to prepare them for the job market. Mostly they wish they had networked more, started the job search earlier, or applied to more jobs before graduation.
- 29% would have networked more prior to graduation
- 26% would have applied to more jobs
- 26% would have started their job search earlier
Jobs Don’t Require Four-year Degree
- Nearly half (43%) of recent grads who have a job are working at a job that does NOT require a 4-year degree.
Securing Full-time Employment

Only 57% of recent college grads are currently working full-time
- For those who are working full-time now, or have worked full-time since graduation, it took them on average six months to find a job after graduation if they did not already have one lined up before graduation.
- It took 2008 grads the longest to find a job, averaging 9.2 months (compared to other graduating classes).

Long Term Perspectives
- Recent college graduates do not plan to depend on the government for their long-term well being. Only one in five (19%) think that Social Security will still exist by the time they retire.
College Graduates Need to ‘Pound the Pavement’ Harder
- Over half (55%) of all recent college graduates have only applied to 0-5 full-time jobs since graduation.
- Surprisingly, a third (32%) of recent college grads who are unemployed have applied to no more than five full-time jobs since graduation.
- Recent college graduates with jobs interviewed for more full-time jobs on average (4.71 jobs) than those that are unemployed (3.65 jobs).
College Graduates Move Back Home
- One-third (33%) of all recent graduates live at home with their parents
- Nearly one-fifth (17%) of recent graduates are financially dependent on their parents.
- Graduates working at a job that does NOT require a 4-year degree (40%) are more likely to live at home with their parents than are those who are working at a job which requires a 4-year degree (23%).