Data on jobs in Rhode Island
Posted on August 13, 2012
Paid interns are obtaining jobs in Rhode Island at a faster rate than unpaid interns, according to a new survey.
About 60 percent of 2012 college graduates who took part in paid internships received at least one job offer, according to results of a new study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.
NACEs 2012 Student Survey was conducted mid-January through April 30, 2012. Nearly 48,000 college students nationwide, including 15,715 seniors at the bachelors degree level, took part in the survey.
Thirty-seven percent of unpaid interns received job offers; 36 percent of graduates with no internship experience received job offers. They fared only slightly better than their paid counterparts.
These results are consistent with what we saw last year with the Class of 2011, says Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director. Students with a paid internship have a decided advantage in the job market over those who did an unpaid internship or didnt do an internship at all.
Paid interns spend much of their time engaged in real work; employers prize that kind of hands-on experience. Conversely, unpaid interns spend more time on clerical tasks and less on the type of duties that employers value, says Mackes.
Paid interns spent 42 percent of their time on professional duties (analysis and project management) and just 25 percent on clerical and non-essential functions; unpaid interns spent 31 percent of their time on clerical and non-essential work and 30 percent on professional tasks.
