Labor Force Status of Recent College Graduates.

Findings are presented from the National Center for Education Statistics' 1978 Recent College Graduates Survey, which estimates the number of recent graduates and the February 1978 employment and salary status of individuals who received bachelor's degrees from July 1, 1976, to June 30, 1977. A nationally representative sample of 297 institutions was selected, and 11,729 graduates were sampled. Data are presented by major field on the percent of graduates employed full-time, their unemployment rate, the percent underemployed, and their average annual salaries. The statistics are presented separately for men and women graduates and for those who are enrolled for an advanced degree. Twenty-eight relatively specific major fields and 11 more general major fields are covered, along with majors in professional fields, arts and sciences, and other fields. Of the approximately 930,000 persons who received bachelor's degrees in the 1976-1977 academic year, an estimated 68 percent were employed full-time; but the unemployment rate was 5.8 percent, and 24 percent of those employed full-time were underemployed. The average annual salary for those employed full-time was about $11,500. Bachelor's recipients who majored in professional fields fared better than bachelor's recipients who majored in the arts and sciences. However, arts and sciences graduates were much more likely than graduates in professional fields to be enrolled for an advanced degree, which discourages working full-time. Graduates in business and management had the highest percentage of full-time employment (83 percent) and graduates in public affairs and social services had the lowest percentage (68 percent). (SW)