Economy not hurting outlook … yet

By Nadine Tester

Despite lackluster current economic conditions, companies attending Rider’s annual spring Career Fair plan to hire at least the same number of new employees as last year, if not more, according to a survey conducted by The Rider News.

Held yesterday, the career fair hosted 73 companies representing a number of different industries including financial security, insurance, health care, electronics, accounting and government. Forty-two companies were polled to determine the impact the nation’s economy will have on the job outlook for college graduates.

While one-third of companies said their starting salaries had remained the same in the past year, more than half reported that salaries had increased anywhere up to $5,000.

Still, most replied that the starting salary is dependent on the employee’s position and previous employment experience. The approximate starting salary offered by the accounting companies polled ranged from $40,000 to $50,000; whereas, the financial services industry offered salaries as low as $29,000 and as high as $75,000.

In spite of the economic downturn, respondents from the mortgage industry remained optimistic.

“The mortgage industry has been through ups and downs the past couple of years,” said an employer from the mortgage industry. “With recent interest rates being lowered, we have been getting very busy, which means we need to hire more people. It could be a good thing for our industry.”

Survey results indicate that non-profit organizations face a more uncertain and worrisome future.

“The economy can drastically impact our service and the number of core members we hire because we depend greatly on charitable organizations,” said one employer. “If the state of the economy continues to worsen, it is likely that individuals and companies may decrease their contributions to our organizations.”