By Brittany Brand

 

Recent rises in unemployment have worried some students searching for job opportunities after graduation.

The unemployment rate rose from 9.8 percent to 10.2 percent in October, the highest rate since 1983, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Web site, www.bls.gov. Since the start of the recession in December 2007, the number of unemployed persons has risen by 8.2 million, and the unemployment rate has grown by 5.3 percentage points.

Ben Martinez, junior accounting major from Abilene, said finding a job will be one of his biggest challenges after graduation if the economy does not improve.

“If the unemployment rate continues to rise, there will be greater competition for jobs,” he said.

The Web site reported construction, retail trade and manufacturing industries were experiencing the most job losses. The ACU Career Center offers many resources for students seeking employment in these or other industries – on and off campus.

CareerLink is one of the tools available to students looking for a job. ACU CareerLink is an online career-management system where employers can post job openings, and students can browse potential jobs and internships.

Debora Fahasoavana, junior business management major from Madagascar, has taken advantage of an on-campus job working at the desk in A.B. Morris Hall. However, she also is worried about finding a job after graduation. She said she hopes to get an internship but has only a year to find employment before her visa runs out.

“There are a lot of businesses here, so I am a little optimistic,” Fahasoavana said.

Fahasoavana said her biggest fear is going home, because the economic situation is much worse there than it is here.

Martinez remains optimistic for the future, as well, despite the rising unemployment rate.

“I plan to do an internship with Ernst Young in the spring of 2011 and then come back to ACU for graduate school,” Martinez said.

Martinez said he hopes Ernst Young, one of the largest accounting firms in the U.S., will hire him full time after he finishes graduate school. He said he thinks the internship would increase his chances of being offered a position at the firm.

For more information about CareerLink, visit www.acu.edu/campusoffices/careercenter/careerlink.