2013 job market trends for international students

When it comes to employment opportunities in the US, international students are generally constrained by a number of policies and regulations that make employers hesitant to hire them. However, there are a few resources out there that can help internatinal students better prepare themselves for future employment in the US by choosing the a career path and industry in which international students can be in high demand.

Last week, I attended an informational workshop put together by the International Student/Scholar Office that presented strategies international students can implement to possibly secure employment positions beyond their OPT months. In his presentation, the Associate Director at the University Career Center, James Novak, mentioned some statistics from a job outlook report; so, when I got home I did a little bit of research and here it is.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) put together a 2013 Job Outlook report that can help students find important trends in the US job market. As an international student, I find this report to be of particular interest and hope others can find it useful as well (there is a lot of great information for college/master students in general -- so, check it out)

In 2013, about 28.1% of respondents (US employers) plan to hire international students, especially those graduating with computer science and information technology degrees. In the last few years, this number has followed an upper trend which sounds very promising for international students who want to pursue employment in the US. Below is a breakdown of the hiring plans of international students by industry:

NACE 2013 Job Outlook Report - International student hiring plans, by industry

Another interesting graph to look at is the international student hiring plans by region:

NACE 2013 Job Outlook Report - International student hiring plans, by region

As I look over this, I wish I would've known about this report earlier in my academic career. It could've saved me quite a few struggles along the way. However, I'm glad to see that the Southeast region of the US is seeing an increase in employers planning to hire international students.

One encouraging stat for my fellow MBA students: the 2012-2013 average signing bonus (projected) for MBA graduates is $16,583. We are definitely in the right field of studies! :)

What are your thoughts about these trends?