Survey: Communication grads find higher pay amid economic downturn

Communicators want top-notch Web skills from new hires

The jobless rate is rising. The stock market is erratic. The dollar continues to sink. More and more companies are laying off workers. But if you’re a college graduate armed with a communication degree, the news is not all bad.

A recent salary survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers suggests that PR, advertising, media and marketing graduates will earn 7.5 percent more than communication graduates entering the work force last year. The group reported an average starting salary of about $36,000 for entry level communication jobs.

The association was not alone in reporting a healthy market for communication grads. The job hunting Web site CollegeGrad.com confirmed an increase in job offerings for communication graduates in 2007, though the site does not track salary changes.

Ever skeptical of salary surveys, reporters for Ragan.com asked our trusty sources in the communication industry whether the communication market was really that robust and what it was employers were looking for in communication newcomers.