According to a new report, Job Outlook 2004 Spring Update, published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), the employment outlook for college graduates looks bright. Overall, employers say they expect to hire 11% more college graduates in 2004 than they did from the class of 2003. In fact, career counselors and recruiters, along with the students themselves, all say that the fall recruiting season has been the most active one since the dot.com bust.

The outlook varies, though, by sector and by region of the country. Job opportunities are projected to be greatest in the service sector and manufacturing (16% increase) and in the Northeast (21% increase); projections for government and nonprofit employees and employees in the Midwest are less impressive (4.5% decrease and 3% increase, respectively).

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