Record number of job openings giving Arizona college, high school graduates options

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- Ethan Brown and Chandler Camarena are feeling good about their future. The ASU students are watching the job market, and they like what they see. “It’s definitely an undersaturated market, so there’s a lot of openings,” said Brown. “It’s really encouraging seeing all those openings, and it alleviates some of the stress.”

“A lot of jobs opening up and a lot of employers needing people,” Camarena added. ”So everywhere I’ve been looking, I definitely see a lot of job openings.”

Recent college and high school graduates have a lot to be excited about. The hot labor market has provided graduates with many opportunities to start their careers. According to Monster.com, companies will hire 26.6 % more college graduates from the class of 2022 than they did from the class of 2021.

Blake Quinlan is the franchise manager of Express Employment Professionals in North Scottsdale. Quinlan says he’s never seen a job market like the one we have now, and it’s great news for anyone entering the workforce. “Nationwide, there’s 11 million job openings and 4 million people out there looking for work,” said Quinlan. “Candidates do have multiple options, so as employers, we have to be a little more flexible, understanding that we’re not the only option out there.”

According to Quinlan, the top industries hiring workers include health care, administration and support and food service. The top occupations for graduates are software developers, retail and sales representatives.

The high demand for workers is giving graduates a chance to shop around for the job they want. They can also counter offer for a higher salary. “Find a position you can enter into that you can enjoy,” said Quinlan. “Everyone should want to enjoy going to work every single day.”

Quinlan said that despite the large number of job openings, applicants need keep salary expectations reasonable.

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