Thursday, August 5, 1999
WRITER: Allyson Mann, 706/542-4990, [email protected] CONTACT: Lee Becker, available Fri., Aug. 6, from 10-10:30 a.m. Central Standard Time at 504/525-2500 ext. 2622 or otherwise 706/542-5023, [email protected]
ANNUAL SURVEY SHOWS CONTINUED SUCCESS IN JOB MARKET FOR JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATION GRADUATES
ATHENS, Ga. -- Journalism and mass communication graduates continue to face an improved job market -- higher employment rates and increased salaries -- according to the Annual Survey of Journalism and Mass Communication Graduates released by the James M. Cox Jr. Center for International Mass Communication Training and Research in the University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. The survey, designed to monitor the employment rates and salaries of graduates of journalism and mass communication programs in the United States, is conducted by Lee Becker, director of the Cox Center.
EMPLOYMENT FOR BACHELOR'S DEGREE RECIPIENTS INCREASED
The level of full-time employment was higher than it ever has been for bachelor's degree recipients. The unemployment rate for journalism and mass communication graduates held steady at 12.1 percent.
"Unemployment continues at an all-time low," Becker said. "That's very good news for graduates but means those trying to hire face a competitive market."
The 1998 survey results show the percentage of journalism and mass communication bachelor's degree recipients with at least one job available upon graduation increased significantly in 1998 to its highest level since at least 1988. Similarly, the percentage of graduates who had a full-time job six to eight months after graduation was at a record level.
The survey shows 81.8 percent of bachelor's degree recipients reported having at least one job offer upon graduation, and the mean number of job offers was 2.2 each. Both numbers are increased from 1997 and are the highest levels of this measure dating back to at least 1988. Master's degree recipients didn't fare as well, with 74.5 percent reporting having at least one job offer upon graduation, a decrease of 8.8 percentage points and the lowest level of this measure since 1995.
SALARIES INCREASED FOR ALL EXCEPT THOSE IN TELEVISION
The median salary earned by 1998 bachelor's degree recipients with full-time jobs rose $1,000 to $24,000. The median salary for master's degree recipients rose from $28,500 to $30,000. All median salaries per job classification increased from 1997 except television, which decreased by $500 and represents the lowest salary. The highest paying jobs were in online publishing, with those taking jobs in the industry receiving $6,000 more per year than the median salary of $24,000.
"The continued low level of unemployment is reflected in salaries going up at a rate higher than inflation. This will continue if the unemployment rate stays low, as we would expect it to," Becker said.
The median salaries per job classification for 1998 were as follows:
* Daily Newspapers $22,560 * Weekly Newspapers $20,200 * Radio $20,700 * Television $18,200 * Cable Television $23,000 * Advertising $25,000 * Public Relations $25,000 * Consumer Magazine $25,000 * Newsletter/Trades $26,200 * Online Publishing $30,000
GAP BETWEEN EMPLOYMENT RATE OF MINORITY AND NON-MINORITY GRADUATES DECREASED
The full-time employment rate for minority graduates was 3.6 percent below non-minority graduates. The gap is larger, 6.3 percent, if those who opt to go back to school are included. Both percentages represent a decrease from 1997's figure of more than 10 percent.
Women who had completed a journalism and mass communication bachelor's degree posted a full-time employment rate 5.3 percentage points higher than their male counterparts. This gap was larger than has been true on average in recent years.
Just under 2,400 surveys were returned from 97 schools drawn to represent the 451 journalism and mass communication programs in the United States. The surveyed students represent the estimated 33,375 bachelor's degree recipients and 3,630 master's degree recipients nationwide for the 1997-98 academic year.
For more information, contact Becker at 706/542-5023. For a complete copy of the report, visit the Annual Survey Web site at http://www.grady.uga.edu/annualsurveys/GR98present.htm.
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Summary of 1998 Graduate Survey Results
* Graduates of journalism and mass communication bachelor's degree programs were less likely to have specialized in either public relations or advertising in 1998 than were graduates in 1997 and more likely to have specialized in nontraditional areas of journalism study than at any time since at least 1986. * Despite changes in how students labeled their specializations, students in journalism and mass communication programs remained strongly committed to professional activities in support of media careers. More than eight in 10 of all bachelor's degree recipients once again reported having held an internship in communication, and more than a third reported working for the campus newspaper. * Eight in 10 of the 1998 graduates indicated they had sought employment with at least one of the traditional employers of journalism and mass communication graduates. * At the same time, one in 10 of the bachelor's degree recipients reported looking for work with a web-based employer. Only weekly and daily newspapers among traditional print employers attracted more graduate applicants. * The percentage of journalism and mass communication bachelor's degree recipients with at least one job available upon graduation increased significantly in 1998 and stood at its highest level since at least 1988. Similarly, the percentage of graduates who had a full-time job six to eight months after graduation was at a record level. * Unemployment for journalism and mass communication bachelor's degree recipients in 1998 was 5.9%, statistically comparable to a year earlier and just above the national unemployment rate for the total labor force but below the national unemployment rate for those 20-24 years old. * Those receiving a master's degree in journalism and mass communication in 1998 also enjoyed a relatively strong labor market, with most of those wanting jobs finding them. * Journalism and mass communication bachelor's degree recipients who were members of a racial or ethnic minority in 1998 posted a full-time employment rate 3.6% lower than for those not considered to be minorities. The gap was the smallest gap since 1993. The gap is larger--at 6.3%--if those who are opting to go back to school are included in the computation. Since returning to school in a strong labor employment market is often a sign of job hunting failure, the larger figure may be a more accurate reflection of continuing problems for minority graduates as they attempt to enter the journalism and mass communication labor market. * In 1998 women who had completed a journalism and mass communication bachelor's degree posted a full-time employment rate 5.3 percentage points higher than their male counterparts. This gap was larger than has been true on average in recent years. * For the second year in a row, salaries reported by bachelor's degree recipients from journalism and mass communication programs around the country increased rather sharply. In unadjusted dollars, the median salary of bachelor's degree recipients in 1998 was $24,000--up $1,000 or 4.3% from a year earlier and up $2,500 from two years ago. In dollars adjusted for the official inflation rate, the increase was a less dramatic but still significant $400 per year. * Salaries reported by master's degree recipients also increased in 1998 over a year earlier and at a rate that exceeded inflation. On average, master's degree recipients in journalism and mass communication reported an annual income of $30,000. * The median salary reported by bachelor's degree recipients who took jobs in web publishing was $30,000--or $6,000 higher than for all bachelor's degree recipients. The increase represented an increase of 9.8% over a year earlier and allowed graduates with these jobs to lead all industry segments in terms of median salaries. * The 1998 bachelor's degree recipients with full-time jobs reported receiving benefits comparable to those received by 1997 graduates. * The percentage of bachelor's degree recipients with a job who selected it because it was what the graduate wanted to do has increased in 1998. Opportunities to learn and chances for advancement are among the important reasons for selecting a job for large numbers of graduates. * Job satisfaction for bachelor's degree recipients with a full-time job remained high in 1998, though it is off from its peak in 1995. Satisfaction for those with a part-time job declined. * Three of 10 of the bachelor's degree recipients said they wished they had prepared for another career, and another 5.5% said they never intended to go into journalism or communication in the first place. Among those who wished they had prepared for another career, two explanations stand out: low salaries in communications jobs and difficulty of finding such a job. * Only one in 20 of the bachelor's degree recipients with jobs expected to retire with the organization they were working with when they completed the survey, and only one out of five expected to retire in the current occupation.
Should you require additional information, the full text of the 1998 Annual Survey of Journalism & and Mass Communication Graduates is available online at http://www.grady.uga.edu/annualsurveys/GR98present.htm.
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