Highest Paying Industry for Class of 2011 Was Financial Instruments

A new study has the securities, commodities, funds, trusts, and other instruments financial services industry coming in at the top for the highest average starting salaries for Class of 2011 graduates at the bachelor’s degree level.

The top five industries were:

1. Securities, commodities, funds, trusts, and other financial investments = $58,571 (42,000 hires);
2. Electric power companies = $56,780 (2,000 hires);
3. Non-depository credit / related activities =$53,825 (8,000 hires);
4. Computer systems design = $53,547 (50,000 hires); and
5. Business support services = $50,280 (1,000 hires).

Source: National Association of Colleges and Employers

Higher Starting Salaries Seen by Class of 2011

The college Class of 2011 outpaced the preceding class in average starting salary. Overall, 2011 graduates at the bachelor’s degree level began their first post-graduation job with an average salary of $41,701—up 2.3 percent over the average salary for Class of 2010 graduates, according to NACE’s Winter 2012 Salary Survey report.

In fact, the report shows that average starting salaries grew across the board, albeit modestly in most cases. “Graduates in the engineering and computer science disciplines fared best in terms of overall average starting salary, and computer science graduates saw the largest overall increase,” says Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director. (See Figure 1.)

As a group, the average starting salary for engineering graduates is $61,872—up 1.5 percent over the 2010 average ($60,971). For students earning degrees in the computer science majors, the average starting salary now stands at $60,594, a 4.1 percent increase over the $58,229 posted in 2010.

Seven Hot Jobs for 2012

Lawyers and detectives may be the roles most commonly depicted on TV, but the jobs that get high ratings in real-life are often lesser known. According to salary research from Robert Half, demand for positions such as mobile applications developers, data warehouse analysts and user experience (UX) designers is expected to grow in the coming year as companies look to invest in their information technology (IT) infrastructure and digital presence. Continue Reading