Loyola University • New Orleans • Volume 94 • Issue 9
M THE MAROON OCT. 30, 2015
After graduating from Loyola, alumni are struggling to secure jobs in their preferred field When Stephen Hansel graduated from Loyola University with a Bachelor’s in economics last May, he had a plan for his future. He would go on to be a successful economics consultant, helping other students make wise economic decisions. But as of this year, his vision has been stifled. Hansel, like many other recent college graduates, has come face-to-face with a competitive job market. “I’ve been searching for a fulltime job for a while now. It’s rough. There are jobs, but there are 60-80 applicants for each one,” Hansel said. Since Hansel graduated from Loyola, he has worked two parttime jobs: one at the Poydras Home, and the other as a field associate for a political advocacy group called Americans for Prosperity. While both of these jobs require almost polar opposite skills, they present their own issues. “I’m getting paid more than the minimum wage, but they may not always have the hours I need to pay the bills,” Hansel said. In December, Hansel will need to start paying for student loans, another mountain that many college graduates have to face in the future. “It’s a little embittering, to be honest, but its what we have to deal with at this time,” Hansel said. According to a recent study on college graduates in the job market
by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, college graduates who are underemployed are on the rise. Based on the 2014 study, this trend is largely due to the 2001 recession, some 14 years ago. Many graduates who find it difficult to land that first job are often not guaranteed an ideal wage, according to a study by the Department of Labor Statistics. Graduates are often searching for a job specific to their field, which contributes to the unemployment rate. According to an employ- By Mark Robinson ment projection mtrobins@loyno.edu release by the @_mtrobin Bureau of Labor Statistics, the jobs that will be in demand within the next year are service-oriented occupations. These will account for nearly a third of the jobs available in the job market. For Frank Loria, president of Personal Coaching Group in Metairie, Louisiana, one of the underlying issues is that many college grads don’t have the right degree to fit the jobs in demand in the economy. “It’s not difficult if you have the right degree. An engineering degree or a degree that is going to bring you a step along is ideal. With a finance degree, people want to go and get a job with JP Morgan and things like that. You typically won’t get hired with just an undergraduate degree,” Loria said.
See JOB MARKET, page 7
Landrieu looks to improve city for the 2016 year By Andrew Callaghan atcallag@loyno.edu @andrewfromusa
City hall’s newly unveiled 2016 operating budget highlights issues regarding poorly maintained roads, high crime rates, and a lack of em-
ployment opportunity for young African American males. Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s vision of a peaceful and financially stable New Orleans is demonstrated by his newly proposed budget for this upcoming year. Landrieu proposed to City Coun-
cil an operating budget of $592.7 million dollars, which is a ten million dollar budget increase from 2015. As citywide revenue rates have risen as a result of residential and commercial redevelopments, Landrieu plans to reinvest city funds
into making improvements in public safety, infrastructure, recreation, and public works. “Our brightest days are ahead. Our city’s population is growing, we’re attracting new businesses and retail that is creating jobs and our property values are up. This hard
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work is paying off and as a result, our revenue is up and we can invest more in our citizens’ priorities including public safety, job creation, recreation, streets and streetlights and to fight blight. Public safety remains my top priority,” Landreiu stated in a press release.
See BUDGET, page 4