Look Around HR

I recently talked about the 2008 graduating class and how the job prospects look pretty good despite the lackluster economy. CareerBuilder has released these statistics on what new grads should expect to receive, by major/ profession. Overall, salaries are up about 4 percent from a year ago with increase ranging from a low of 1 percent to a high of 9 percent from a year ago.

From CareerBuilder:

Among those who will experience the highest increases are those with liberal arts degrees, whose average offer is up 9 percent at $33,258.

Graduates with technical degrees, such as computer science majors, saw their average offers rise 7.9 percent to $56,921. Marketing graduates saw a 5.2 percent increase, bringing their average offers to $43,459.

Collectively, engineering graduates enjoyed a 5.7 percent boost, with average offers of $56,336. Specialized majors saw even higher increases: Chemical engineering grads’ average offers rose 6.2 percent to $63,749. Civil engineering grads experienced a 4.8 percent rise to $49,427; 3.5 percent for electrical engineering majors at $56,512; and mechanical engineering grads saw the smallest increase of 3.4 percent, bringing their average offers up to $56,429.

Offer amounts are up 1.9 percent for finance and accounting graduates, to $48,795 and $47,413, respectively. Salary offers for business administration and management graduates rose by less than 1 percent to $43,823.

Here are 10 other starting salaries for 2008 graduates:

Economics - $52,926
Career options for economics majors vary from private consulting for businesses to working for government agencies.

Nursing - $52,129
Nursing majors can find job opportunities in hospitals, clinics, doctor offices and other medical facilities.

Chemistry - $52,125
Chemists can find work in laboratories, pharmaceuticals, chemical manufacturing or research and development – to name a few.

Political science/government - $43,594
Political science and government graduates have the option of working in the state, local or federal governments, as well as in the private sector or nonprofit organizations.

Human resources - $40,250
Human resources majors work as assistants and payroll or benefits coordinators, and in diversity training.

History - $35,956
A degree in history (aka liberal arts) means you can be an educator, researcher, communicator or editor, information manager, advocate or even a businessperson.

Communications - $35,196
Communications has much of the same focus as public relations, advertising, journalism, marketing and business management. The skills you learn in this major are transferable to many areas.

English language and literature - $34,757
English majors typically work in education, but other traditional fields of work include writing and editing for newspapers and publishing firms, public relations and broadcasting, or technical writing for advanced industries.

Journalism - $32,250
Journalism majors will find successful careers in print, broadcast TV or radio journalism, as well as opportunities in media relations.

Psychology - $30,877
Psychology graduates can put their degree to use in the mental or social services sectors, as well as in business or education.

Public relations/organizational communications - $30,667
Careers in public relations include orchestrating PR strategies for companies and nonprofit organizations, writing communications and even working in advertising.

Nothing to surprising here with who earns the most, etc. I am glad to see the increases from a year ago. I’ve talked about “recession-proof” jobs, and I think the top key to being truly “recession-proof” is a college degree.

According to a new press release from The Conference Board Help-Wanted OnLine Data Series, there was decline of about 0.6 percent in the job postings in March 2008 when compared with one year ago.

This is the first time the study has seen such a decline of a years span, and shows further evidence of the tightening job market.

From the press release:

“The softening in advertised vacancies evident over the last few months spread to more states in March and, for the first time, annual growth turned negative for the nation as a whole,” said Gad Levanon, Economist at The Conference Board. “It would not be surprising to see a third straight month of job losses when employment data are released later this week as well as continued weakness in the months ahead. The weak demand for labor and a soft employment market help explain the significant decline in the Consumer Confidence Index released last week, which dropped to 64.5, its lowest level since 2003,” explained Levanon.

Not a real optimistic view. For the record- the states with the highest labor demand were Alaska, Nevada, and Delaware (when comparing the labor pool to number of postings) and the states at the bottom were Arkansas, Indiana, and Kentucky.

And to the surprise of no one (hopefully) is the finding that health care was the most sought after industry.

The dreaded R word (recession) is being thrown around pretty commonly these days, and it has just about everyone nervous. A common reaction many employers have during the economic downtimes is to cut staff. The recent job numbers show that to be true. While industries like finance and manufacturing are taking a hit, other industries remain strong- and even strive.

Here are the top five “recession proof” industries, according to MSN CareerBuilder:

Industry No. 1: Education
With more teachers retiring and an increasing number of students enrolling in grades K-12, the demand for skilled teachers is rising. The National Center for Education Statistics predicts that in the next eight years, 2.8 million teachers must join the existing 3.2 million teachers because of retirements, higher enrollment and teacher turnover.

Industry No. 2: Energy
The oil industry faces 80 percent of its work force reaching retirement age in the next decade, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas. As a result, jobs related to oil and gas, alternative and renewable energy, and even nuclear energy are likely to see job growth at a steady pace.

Industry No. 3: Environmental sector
The environmental industry created 5.3 million jobs in 2005, according to a United Nations report. As concerns about global warming swell, more and more companies are “going green” and will hire engineers and scientists to develop “green” technology. They’ll also need guidance for becoming more eco-friendly.

Industry No. 4: Health care
Nearly half of the 30 fastest growing jobs are in health services, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Some of these jobs include medical assistants, physical therapists and home health aides.

Employers in California entice nurses with $7,500 signing bonuses for hard-to-fill jobs and $3,500 for traditional positions, according to the California Jobs Journal. They’re also providing $3,000 annually for continuing education and relocation reimbursement, as well as time off to pursue professional interests, overtime pay and the option to work 12-hour shifts with four days off per week.

Industry No. 5: Security
There will always be a need for security, whether it’s in airports, at U.S. borders or in a company protecting vital information. The Defense and Homeland Security departments need to fill an estimated 83,000 jobs over the next two years, according to a 2007 report by the Partnership for Public Service.

It’s important to remember that entering these industries may not be as hard as it seems. If you are an office assistant for a financial company, you should be able to transition to a hospital or school, etc with training. Education doesn’t only mean teachers; health care doesn’t only mean nurses. Look for ways that key industries can utilize your skills.

Home Depot is going through some difficult times with the bottom line and in an effort to turn things around has decided to restructure its human resource teams.

From CNN Money:

After the changes, there no longer will be a human resources manager in each of the company’s 1,970 U.S. stores. Human resources supervisor positions at U.S. stores also will be eliminated.

Instead, Home Depot will create 230 district teams that will each have a district human resources manager and three people reporting to that person. Stores will still have a person who manages schedules.

There will be 200 people hired to staff a human resources service center and 30 people hired as regional human resources associates to handle recruitment.

Spokesman Ron DeFeo said this would not have a money saving affect. Their goal is to use the erased salaries to increase the number of in-store associates, which would then result in better service and more sales (they hope).

First, I am glad to see Home Depot doing something. For one, their service is down and two, when things are going bad it is always good to change. That said, I think having an HR field staff and not having an HR Manager is every store is doable, but a quick Google search reveals that Home Depot has had their share of employment related lawsuits. Here is a recent discrimination and hostile workplace suit in Denver, which resulted in a $5 million settlement, and an older story detailing a series of employment lawsuits.