Majority of recent Utah graduates still finding work in their field

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Despite challenges coming from the COVID-19 pandemic, Utah’s largest universities say a vast majority of recent graduates are still finding work in their field.

Recent graduates continuing to find work

Over the past year, online job fairs and digital coaching has become the norm at Utah Valley University, Brigham Young University and University of Utah.

“We recognize that there is a real need to try to engage students in effective job search practices,” Stan Inman, the University of Utah’s director of the career and professional development center, tells the Deseret News.

He says so far, self-reporting data from recently graduated U of U students is generally positive.

Of the 10,000 plus students who responded to a recent survey, over 7,000 have already accepted employment or been admitted to a graduate school of their choosing.

Keeping Utah talent at home

Some good news for the state is 70% of the U.’s graduates plan on staying in Utah for their work. The other top three states reported by U. alumni for employment are California, Washington and Texas.

Elsewhere in the state, it seems recently graduated college students have found success through digital career fairs and interview coaching.

Jodi Chowen, Brigham Young University’s Managing Director of Career Services, noted around 89% of BYU students are achieving their career outcomes within the six-month mark of graduation. For context, she says that percentage is typically around 93%.

“What we found, looking at the data, is it just took students longer to find a job,” explained Chowen. “Where they may have been more inclined to be employed either at graduation or within a month or two of graduation, it was maybe taking them three months or longer, depending on the field, to find a job.”

When looking at the current job market, University of Utah officials say they have more jobs posted on their internal job board than ever before.