[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/cpecfinal.jpg”]The employment market looks good for McMaster's graduates and for students seeking summer employment.

“Overall the job outlook for students is really positive”, says Karen Johnson, manager of McMaster's Career Planning and Employment Centre. “Summer jobs look good, full-time and part-time jobs also look good An economic downturn may affect graduates in the future but we haven't experienced it yet.”

The campus employment centre posted 4,313 jobs from May 2000 through March 2001, almost 1,000 more than last year and not all of this year's job postings have yet been counted.

Summer job postings have doubled over last year and full-time job postings are up by 400 positions. “Everything has increased,” says Gisella Oliviera, employment operations co-ordinator, who keeps track of the statistics for the career centre.

Oliviera predicts the rosy outlook will persist because she already has employers booking now to come to campus in the fall to interview future graduates. “They have new positions to fill and they want to hold information sessions,” says Oliviera.

Students with demonstrated financial need are benefiting from more “McWork” study summer jobs than were offered last year. “The jobs have grown by leaps and bounds,” says financial aid adviser Jill Davren. “We have 422 jobs available for students to do everything from cutting grass to Web design to being a lab research assistant right here on campus.”

The financial aid office has $674,000 available to subsidize the “McWork” study summer jobs. University employers receive $4 per hour to go towards each qualified student's salary and most employers pay the students about $9 an hour.

There are substantially more “McWork” study jobs available this year than there were last year because the provincial guidelines have changed, says Davren. The money comes from a percentage of the students' tuition ear-marked for financial aid.

Most of the “McWork” study summer jobs are full time, offering employment from May through August. International students in need of financial aid can also apply for these jobs.

Photo(l-r):Edward Baker,political science; Nicole Frocking,commerce, and career counsellor David Lawson review job postings in the CPEC office. Photo by Ron Scheffler.