Job market gets tougher for new tech grads

Don't be surprised if it gets harder for new IT graduates to get a job. Advanced Micro Devices announced last week that it was slashing 10 percent of its workforce. Dell is in the process of laying off at least 8,500 employees. All this comes as the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that unemployment rate nationwide rose to 5.1 percent in March, up from 4.8 percent for the previous month. While there is much talk about shortages of qualified IT workers, the news of cutbacks counters many of the demands for more qualified workers.

"The really motivated people won't have problems, but the challenge in the millennial generation is that there are a lot out there that didn't spend time on internships, didn't get work experience before graduation or are more lackluster in their desire to work. They're going to have a lot of trouble entering the work force," Rich Milgram, CEO of Beyond.com, a recruiting Web site, told eWeek. Other experts predict any downturn will be temporary, even for the young college graduate with a computer science or engineering degree burning a hole in his or her pocket.

For more on the IT job market:
- See this eWeek article