2015 US College Graduate – Only 15 percent want to work for a large-size company

This year’s college grads are more practical and job-ready than any crop in recent memory. But many of them are indicating they don’t want to work for your type of company. New grads have strengthened their link in the overall talent supply chain while many employers have not. Are you ready to meet that challenge?

Only 15 percent of this year’s U.S. college graduates want to work for a large-size company. Just 12 percent want to work in the communications industry, 11 percent in electronics and high tech, 10 percent in finance/ banking, and just 4 percent in energy and 2 percent in insurance.

What are you going to do about that?

The Accenture Strategy 2015 U.S. College Graduate Employment Study finds that new college graduates are well prepared as they enter the workforce. They’re responding to the growing need for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) degrees. They’re thinking about potential jobs before choosing a major field of study. They’re pursuing internships and ongoing training opportunities. And colleges are doing their part, getting them ready to go and helping them look for work.

What these graduates are likely to find in the job market, however, often falls well short of those ideals. High percentages of recent graduates report they are underemployed; salaries are low; graduates are not being offered learning experiences that advance their careers.

In addition, low percentages of graduates want to work for large companies, or in traditional sectors like energy, insurance and communications.

In other words, new college graduates have been doing everything they can to strengthen their link in the overall talent supply chain. Colleges are showing improvements as well.

But employers’ lack of commitment and investment in entry-level jobs makes them the weakest link in the chain.

This is an opportunity for leading companies to differentiate on talent—on attracting, developing and retaining the best and the brightest.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at  2015 U.S. College Graduate Employment Study – Accenture.