For every college student, there are worries about whether or not they will get a job out of school utilizing their degree. In the current job market, things are looking up for unemployed workers, and employment for last year’s DePaul graduates was ahead of the national average.Although unemployment rates in 2010 were the highest in over two decades, things are expected to be better for the unemployed in 2011. The fastest growth in nearly a year, employers added a net 192,000 jobs in February, the Labor Department reported last Friday.

There has been a substantial increase in the number of employers recruiting for DePaul interns and graduates at the university’s job fairs, said Amanda Powers Snowden, the University Career Center’s communications manager. According to Powers Snowden, by the end of 2010, job postings increased by 37 percent and internship postings grew by 17 percent.

According to the Career Center, DePaul is ahead of the national average for undergraduates becoming employed.

“Thirty percent of DePaul bachelor’s degree recipients had full-time positions by the time they graduated in June 2010, compared to the national average of 24 percent,” Powers Snowden said. “The 6 percent increase can be attributed to the skills DePaul students receive from careers services and infield advisors.”

“We take pride in getting our graduates hired,” she said.

Many Chicago businesses prefer to hire DePaul graduates over recruits from other local universities, said Powers Snowden. She added, “DePaul is one of the highest recruited universities in the Midwest.”

The Midwest has seen significant decreases in unemployment. Chicago and its surrounding suburbs saw the third largest cut in unemployment of the major metropolitan areas with a drop of 1.9 points.

Sophomore Amy Mason said the nation’s job market hurt her family, but the situation has improved.

“My dad was a car dealer and my family was very hurt financially during the recession, but he has found work elsewhere in the car industry recently,” Mason said.

Four out of ten workers are likely to look for a new job in the next 12 months, representing an increase of four percent from December to January.

Although most students seem pleased that America’s unemployed are getting back to work, there are some who said they benefited from the recession.

“I received a lot more financial aid from my FAFSA after my parents got laid off than I did when they were working,” said junior Juan Garcia.

Confidence is highest in younger employees. Workers between 18 and 34 years old have the strongest belief that the job market is getting better.

“When I started college I was nervous about finding a job after graduation, but things seem to be changing so I am a little more confident,” said senior Alex Miles. He also said that his tension was highest when contemplating changing majors.

“At DePaul, we’ve also seen a demand for those with communication, marketing and sales skills,” said Powers Snowden.

Industries projected to do the best in 2011 are in sales, healthcare and manufacturing reported the U.S. Department of Labor.

“Even though my hopes are high I know competition is greater than ever in finding a job,” Miles said.