Workplace 2003: What’s Next For Graduating Seniors?
By Julianne Malveaux
As the University of Michigan affirmative action cases snake their way through the Supreme Court deliberation process, many students are concerned not just with getting into college, but what happens when they get out? Those graduating in 2003 face an economy far more sluggish than the one that young people encountered just a year ago. And it’s a far cry from the brisk job market of 1999 when some undergraduates in highly technical fields were being wooed to work with signing bonuses.
Now, with the overall unemployment rate at 5.8 percent (in March), and 10.8 percent for African Americans, many Black college graduates will take longer than their White counterparts to find employment. Reasons for the differences in job search are partly a function of undergraduate major and activities. Part of it is a function of the different resources that some young people bring to the job search process. While some come armed with a set of contacts, others lack the “hookup” to get a foot into the door. The affirmative action issue is as important in hiring as it is in education, because it levels the contact playing field and casts a wider net to provide opportunities for all graduating seniors qualified to work.
