Better Pay, Fewer Jobs Await Grads, Survey Reports

College graduates in the 1986-87 academic year will find fewer jobs but higher salaries than students who attained their degrees a year earlier, according to Michigan State University’s annual survey of employers.

Graduates be warned: The employers consider drug screening an ethical procedure, said the survey released Thursday. Twenty percent said they screen new college graduates for drug use, and 95% of those who do said they’ll reject job applicants when tests turn up positive.

More than 630 job providers throughout the nation said they expected to hire 58,942 graduates during the year, 2.4% fewer than the 61,651 graduates they hired last year, according to the survey.

Starting salaries for graduates with bachelor’s degrees will likely rise to about $21,815. The survey says employers expected the average starting salary to be 2.9% higher than last year.

This year’s graduates will find jobs most available in the Southwest, according to employers responding to the survey. Rated next best by location are the Northeast and Southeast.