Spotlight Online for Career Services Professionals, February 3, 2010

Over the past year, college graduates in the United States experienced the largest drop in base annual salary among their peers in other countries with associations that belong to the International Network of Graduate Recruitment and Development Associations (INGRADA), according to new survey results.   

INGRADA links major college and university recruitment associations in the United States, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. NACE is a founding member of the group. 

Global Graduate Report contains results from six countries and covers new undergraduate starting salaries, offer-acceptance rates, vacancy figures, retention rates, and the costs associated with hiring new college graduates.   

U.S. college graduates from the Class of 2009 saw base annual pay fall 1.2 percent from the previous class. Australian grads also saw a drop (0.77 percent), while those in the United Kingdom saw no change. Meanwhile, graduates entering the work force in South Africa (4.3 percent) and Canada (3.6 percent) benefitted from healthy increases.  

In other areas, results from the United States compared favorably. Despite having the second-lowest average graduate retention after one year (92 percent; South Africa had the lowest at 90 percent), employers in the United States registered the second-highest average graduate retention after five years (70 percent; Hong Kong was the highest at 75 percent).   

Access INGRADA’s Global Graduate Report or learn more about INGRADA and its member associations.