Good news for college students: the job market is starting to look a little brighter, with 5 percent more employment opportunities predicted for new college graduates this year, according to a recent survey conducted by the Michigan State University’s Collegiate Employment Research Institute.

The survey consisted of nearly 4,300 employers, whose answers seemed to indicate a more optimistic outlook for employing recent college graduates than what was reported last year. In addition, while the market is certainly nowhere near “excellent,” most employers rate it between “fair" and "good.”

Surprisingly, the demand for people with an associate's degree is up more than 30 percent for careers in applied engineering, health care technology, business and computer science, while the demand for people with an MBA is down 6 percent. The need for a master’s degree appears to be "stuck at the bottom of a U-shaped curve,” according to the report.

Overall, employers are concerned about the availability of qualified candidates when it comes to hiring both new college graduates and experienced professionals. However, many companies are still opting to hire seasoned veterans due to fear that recent graduates will not have the level of preparedness and attitude towards work needed to be successful.

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