Grads Turn to Public Service Jobs

Students set to graduate in May might be spending more time analyzing the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Employment Situation than finishing senior thesis papers. The 8.9% unemployment rate for February is enough to scare anyone into choosing the five-year plan. But public service jobs are one way that students can avoid becoming another sad unemployment statistic.

Positions with the federal government saw a 16% increase among young college graduates while nonprofit groups saw an 11% increase in 2009, according to a New York Times analysis of data from the American Community Survey of the United States Census Bureau. The BLS Employment Situation shows that jobs continue to increase in the service-providing sector with a gain of 47,000 jobs.

More and more students turn to public service jobs such as the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps VISTA and Teach for America, based on job security.