Gift for class of '06: great prospects

Natalie Gioiella doesn't graduate from Northeastern University until May, but she already has multiple job offers, including one from General Electric that has just what the 23-year-old wants: Work as an analyst at one of the firm's financial units in New York.

''I had an offer from JP Morgan, from IBM, and from some other companies whose names I can't think of," said Gioiella of Pleasantville, N.Y. ''I sent out a limited number of resumes, and it was the first time I looked for a job."

It's not that Gioiella is luckier than her peers. Job prospects for the class of 2006 are expected to increase by 14.5 percent over last year, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, a professional group of about 1,000 corporate recruiters and career counselors at 2,000 campuses that forecasts hiring trends. This graduating class will garner higher starting salaries, too, according to the association, which polled 256 of its corporate members.

Employers' growing confidence in the US economy coupled with a need for skilled workers is expected to make members of the class of 2006 the hottest recruits in years.

''The job market is as good as it's been since 2000," said economist Mark Zandi of Moody's Economy.com. ''Unemployment is 4.7 percent, and it is falling. Job growth is sturdy, and it is increasingly broad-based and across regions and occupations. In fact, this will be the first year that wage growth will begin to accelerate. It should be a good year for American students."

Demand is especially strong in engineering, finance, accounting, and management consulting. But college counselors say even liberal arts graduates can expect offers this year.

John Fortier, a senior accounting major at Merrimack College in North Andover, can attest to that. He landed a job at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Boston, his first choice. ''I didn't even pursue any other company," said Fortier, 22, of Northampton. ''I really was holding out for them because they're such a prestigious firm. Getting a job there was my goal."

Len Morrison, senior director of employer relations at Northeastern University, said more than 150 employers showed up at the university's spring recruitment fair for graduates in business, computer science, biotechnology, and pharmacology. Last year, just 72 companies attended. ''We had so many employers, we had to turn some away," said Morrison. ''It was pretty impressive."

The National Association of Colleges and Employers reports that graduates in business, economics, finance, or accounting can expect salary offers to be up 3 to 11 percent over 2005. The association also said that 75 percent of 250 employers polled said they are committed to increasing salaries. Last year, by contrast, employers were still cautious about new hires, and few were increasing salaries, said association research director Camille Luckenbaugh.

Not any more.

At PricewaterhouseCoopers, hiring from campuses across the country will be up 15 percent this year, said Brent Inman, a partner in charge of recruiting for the firm. Last year the company hired 3,300 full-time applicants in the United States, and it recruited 2,300 interns from campuses across the country. This year, the accounting firm expects recruiting to increase to satisfy demand for its services.

Inman attributes some of that demand to the Sarbanes Oxley Act. The 2002 law requires that companies keep more detailed financial records, resulting in demand for accountants and financial specialists.

Bill Wright-Swadel, director of career services at Harvard University, said employers are recruiting sophomores and juniors ''with the idea of grooming them."

''Most organizations appear to be looking at early hiring," he said. ''We saw an increase in the number of companies that were interested in recruiting seniors in the fall, but also wanted to come back and recruit sophomores and juniors in the spring for summer opportunities."

Margaret Moon Hames, head of corporate employment practices and diversity at Teradyne Inc. in Boston, said that 23 percent of the firm's new hires will come directly from college campuses. The company expects to recruit 64 college graduates worldwide, up from 59 last year. ''This year, we want to really create a funnel for co-ops so we will have a feeder group of college recruits," she said.

The company is increasing its hiring of new graduates because competitors are hiring more, and because of a projected skills shortage in 2010, Hames said.

Companies' renewed interest in hiring means some students will earn more. New college graduates with degrees in accounting can expect average starting salaries of $45,723, up 6.2 percent over last year. Economics and finance graduates will do even better. Their starting salaries will increase 11 percent to $45,191, on average, the National Association of Colleges and Employers said.

Business administration and management graduates can expect a 3.9 percent increase in starting salaries, increasing the average yearly pay to $39,850. By contrast, marketing graduates should expect a 3.4 percent dip in annual pay to $36,260. Overall, engineering graduates will continue to receive top salaries, approximately $50,000 to $55,900. Liberal arts graduates can expect a starting salary of about $30,828, up 6.1 percent over 2005.

Michael Berry, 22, of Walpole, a senior at Merrimack College who majored in political science and minored in English, accepted a full-time job as a legislative aide at the Massachusetts State House. Berry, who graduates in May, expects to earn $30,000 to $35,000. ''I sent out five or six resumes and I got lucky, I guess," he said.

Rebecca Flynn, who graduates in May, has received three job offers so far. Flynn, 22, majored in civil engineering at Northeastern University. She accepted an offer from an environmental consulting firm in San Diego and will make $40,000 to $50,000 per year. As a junior engineer, she'll work on landfill design and maintenance, and remediation design, she said.

''I know people who graduated two or three years ago and have gone to grad school because they could not find their dream job," said Flynn.

Diane E. Lewis can be reached at dlewis@globe.com.