Greater Cincinnati companies have slots for newly minted graduates, CollegeGrad.com says, and many of them are with the area's biggest firms.
U.S. companies expect to boost the hiring of entry-level employees by nearly 13 percent this year, according to a survey released Wednesday by the State College, Pa.-based job-search company. The projected increase is the largest since the class of 2005 graduated.
CollegeGrad ranked the 500 top entry-level employers this year, based on the number of entry-level jobs available at all of their locations. Locally headquartered firms, all based downtown, include Procter & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG), with 750 entry-level positions available in its global operations; Macy's Inc. (NYSE: M), with 670 entry-level jobs; Convergys Corp. (NYSE: CVG), with 140; and FirstGroup America Inc., and Western & Southern Life Insurance, both with 20.
Other companies with large local operations include: Fidelity Investments (Covington), with 2,200 jobs throughout its operations; Harris Corp. (Mason) with 250 jobs; and BAE Systems (West Chester) with 400; as well as numerous banks, retailers and restaurant chains.
For the complete CollegeGrad ranking, visit: www.collegegrad.com/topemployers/
Among the companies hiring new graduates, 62 percent said they expect to hire more this year than in 2007, 20 percent said they'll hire the same amount and 18 percent plan to hire fewer entry-level workers, according to the survey.
College seniors' optimism about moving from the podium to the office also is up with 26 percent expecting to have an offer in hand by graduation, up from 24 percent last year.
