SurePayroll Inc., a leader in online payroll management, announced the March 2012 results for its monthly SurePayroll Small Business Scorecard. The survey showed small business optimism at 70 percent, despite a slight drop in hiring and wages being flat earlier this year. This is the first time optimism has reached the 70s since May 2011.
The Scorecard also noted that 31 percent of businesses plan to hire during the remainder of the year, and 67 percent plan to maintain their current employment level.
With organizations nationwide feeling confident about their financial stability, many companies have begun to reach out to recent graduates for employment opportunities.
According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, approximately 160 companies nationwide indicated their hiring in the coming year would come from graduates within four majors – engineering, business, accounting and computer sciences.
Employers projected hiring 10.2 percent more graduates than in 2011, which constitutes another sign of gradual economic improvement.
The survey reported the Western and Southeastern United States would have the most bullish hiring market in 2012, with growth expected to reach 33 percent and 18 percent, respectively.
Midwestern companies estimated an increase of 7.7 percent, and an uptick of 6.6 percent in the Northeast.
Businesses are hiring more workers in 2012, and recent college graduates may have it easier than students from years past.