From journalism to finance majors, from graduating seniors to aspiring interns, University students in search of jobs and internships were dressed for success at the annual Winter
Career Fair on Wednesday — but the staggering economy is making employment opportunities increasingly difficult to find.
Only half as many companies
attended this year’s career fair as came to the 2001 Winter Career Fair, according to Mei Yong, marketing and communication specialist for the
Career Center.
“There were about 130 companies at the career fair last winter, and there are about 65 here today,” Yong said.
Along with a decreased number of companies offering full-time employment opportunities for students, there was a lower number of internships available because of the current state of the economy. The newspaper
industry has been particularly affected, cutting back or eliminating student internship programs until the economy improves.
The Oregonian recently canceled its annual summer internship program that provides 12 to 15 students with work and experience. According to George Rede, director of recruiting and training at The Oregonian, the paper had to shelve its internship program for budget reasons.
The Oregonian is not the only Oregon paper that has recently canceled its internship program. The Register-Guard and the Corvallis Gazette-Times were also forced to cancel internships for economic and budget reasons.
“It’s pretty well documented that a number of newspapers have eliminated or greatly reduced its number of available internships,” Rede said.
Beth Pfeiffer, internship coordinator for the School of Journalism and Communication, said that at least 300 journalism companies were invited to attend, but only two could commit. Many companies did not want to participate in the fair because they are uncertain as to how many employment opportunities they can offer students right now, Pfeiffer said.
“It’s very unusual that only two journalism companies are here. Last year there was about 30 journalism employers who attended,” Yong said.
Journalism was not the only professional field to show low attendance. Some students interested in pursuing careers in technology and software felt there was a limited number of companies.
“It’s a little discouraging,” said senior computer science major Phil Benton.
Companies offering positions in retail and sales were high in attendance, including Fred Meyer, Frito-Lay Incorporated, Global Imaging Systems/Konica and United Parcel Services. Other companies in attendance included State Farm Insurance, Sony Disc Manufacturing, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and College Pro.
Although there was a low attendance in comparison to previous years, Yong anticipates a better turn out for the Spring Career Fair.
“I think that some companies who are not here today are saving their resources,” she said, “and will have a better chance of attending the career fair in the spring.”