Many graduates from May 2018 have found jobs, but some are still looking. That group of “those who are still looking,”  now coupled with the December 2018 graduates — all find themselves vying for similar positions. The fact is some industries are in more demand than others.

Finding out where graduates plan to work in the future falls in well-rounded categories. One thing is clear: graduates are looking for internships to round out their experience.

There is a pattern with placement requests according to The Intern Group — a company where students or recent graduates are placed in international internships. The data science team in The Intern Group compiled all applicants to understand which industries are currently the most popular.

The Intern Group offers 25 career fields for interns to choose from when applying, combining that information with LinkedIn’s 2018 study to narrow down where recent graduates want to work this year. The data is comprised of roughly 32,000 student or recent graduate applicants from 2018. Each student had to prioritize an industry where they’d like to find work. Using that data and the LinkedIn results — here are the top five most popular industries.

1. Business

Our findings match up nicely with LinkedIn’s study in the business category. Roughly 12 percent of The Intern Group’s placement requests are in the field of business.

Six of the top ten jobs wanted by recent graduates are business-related. Administrative assistant, recruiter, and business analyst are very much business jobs. The others such as account executive, research assistant, and account manager all are related to business, though could fall in other industries.

Many students study business or complete internships at SMEs and then want to turn to a large company early in their career, which makes it no surprise that this is a top field where recent graduates want to work.

2. Finance and Accounting

Finance and accounting make up about 10 percent of The Intern Group’s requests. These students are studying or just finished a degree in mathematics, accounting, statistics, or economics and want to gain real-world experience.

The LinkedIn study has a financial analyst as a top position, and it’s worth noting that many major financial companies are extremely sought after places to work. Places such as Lockheed Martin, Deloitte, and Accenture all recruit on-campus looking for top talent, though these positions are extremely competitive.

3. Engineering

Many students feel the pull of Silicon Valley and want experience that part of business before heading somewhere else for a career. According to LinkedIn, software engineer and project engineers are two of the top ten most popular jobs for recent graduates.

What comes as no surprise is that Amazon is the top place where recent graduates want to work. With Amazon opening new offices in New York City and Arlington, VA, many more graduates will get the chance to work at the technology powerhouse. A CNN study has Google as the top contender for job placement, with companies such as Microsoft rounding out the top ten.

Many of applicants for available jobs have coding skills, and 9 percent of these graduates want an internship in an engineering position. These are popular picks since there is a minimal language barrier when coding.  Smaller offices are willing to give recent graduates real, hands-on experience that can add-up to a lot of value on their resumes.

4. PR and Marketing

There are renowned communications departments in colleges across the globe, so it comes as no surprise that public relations and marketing are top requests. Out of the roughly 7 percent of graduate requests in these departments, some students wanting experience working on bilingual campaigns to add a competitive edge to their resume.

The marketing coordinator position makes LinkedIn’s top ten, and many account executives and account managers also fall into the marketing realm. Many companies are looking to hire these tech-savvy graduates, as they now come with coding and language experience that can help create dynamic marketing campaigns.

5. Law

Not included on LinkedIn’s list is law — which is still a popular industry for recent graduates. The data here is matched by the surge in law school applicants. In 2018, the number of people applying to law school rose 8 percent. There are over 60,000 students that apply to law school each year.

Many recruiters receive about 2,000 requests for law internships per year. Many students or recent graduates on the fence about practicing law want to intern at a law group to get a feel for a day-in-the-life. Some then choose to abandon a law career, and the others typically apply for law school.

The competitive job landscape

The job market remains competitive for recent graduates. While many students graduate with new, technological-based skills, snagging a job at Google, IBM, or Goldman Sachs is still tough. Though now that many colleges and universities require or at least encourage an internship before graduation, many students find themselves more prepared to enter the workforce.

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David Lloyd

David Lloyd is the CEO of The Intern Group, an award-winning international internship program.