Employers expect to hire fewer new college graduates in 2002-03 than they did in 2001-02, according to a new survey of employers conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

NACE’s Job Outlook Fall Preview survey asked employers to compare the number of new college grads they hired in 2001-2002 to those they expect to hire in 2002-2003. Overall, respondents expect to hire 3.6 percent fewer new grads.

“Last year’s college grads experienced a difficult time in their job search, and it looks like this year will also be challenging,” says Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director. “The Class of 2003 is going to face a lot of competition for jobs. Now, more than ever, students need to use all the resources available to them, particularly their campus career center, where they’ll get expert guidance in conducting a successful job search.”

By sector, employers in the government/nonprofit sector project the best outlook; they plan to maintain their college hiring at last year’s levels. Service employers, however, expect to hire 2.4 percent fewer new college graduates this year. The outlook is worst among manufacturers, who project a 6 percent drop in their number of new college hires.

By type of employer, merchandisers are most likely to say they plan to increase their college hiring. Merchandisers are also among those projecting the biggest increases in actual number of college hires; they expect to hire 16.7 percent more new college graduates this year than they did last year. In addition, computer software development companies and accounting firms expect to hire more new college grads.

Conversely, financial services firms, automotive and mechanical equipment manufacturers, and computer and business equipment manufacturers are most likely to expect to trim college hiring. Projecting the biggest decreases in actual number of college hires are state/local government employers (down 24.9 percent), engineering firms (down 11.4 percent), and financial services companies (down 11.2 percent).

Among the regions of the country, the Midwest alone projects a positive outlook for college hiring: Employers in that region expect to hire 11.2 percent more new college grads this year than they hired last year. College hiring is down in the South, where employers there project a 1.5 percent drop, and Northeast, where college hiring is expected to fall 8.1 percent, but the outlook is worst in the West, where employers say they’ll cut their college hiring by 15.7 percent.