Original Article: http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/June-2014/Our-Q-and-A-with-Ch…

Our Q&A with Challenger, Gray & Christmas CEO John Challenger
The outplacement expert speaks on the job market for new college grads.

BY ANN MEYER

Employment in general is rebounding. But if I’m the parent of a child finishing up college, what can I expect of the market for new grads in particular?

The unemployment rate for recent grads is 6.8 percent. That’s twice the rate for all college grads. But companies are starting to take steps to bring more new grads into their pipeline. Sixty-four percent of the HR professionals [that Challenger’s Chicago-based firm, Challenger, Gray & Christmas, surveyed] said they planned to recruit graduates this year. That’s probably the highest it’s been since the summer of 2007.