Starting pay of college grads falls

Recent college graduates lucky enough to nab jobs are earning even less than their counterparts did a year ago, according to a recent survey.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers said in its quarterly report on salaries that 2010 graduates’ average starting salary was $48,661, down 1.3 percent from the initial salaries of 2009 graduates.

People majoring in general studies saw some of the biggest drops in compensation, said Mimi Collins, communications director for NACE. The average offer for them tumbled 17.7 percent to $37,356.

A few industries bucked the trend, however, raising compensation for new hires. Offers for economics majors rose 2.1 percent to $50,885, while those studying finance got a 0.8 percent bump to $50,356.

In the technology field, salaries dropped slightly for computer science majors and those studying engineering. Information sciences grads’ salaries increased 5.7 percent, however, to $55,084.

The biggest increase was in hospitality services management, where the average offer rose 10.6 percent to $44,397, said Collins.

NACE received information from the career services offices of 115 colleges nationwide in the nine months through June.

TOTAL RECALL

About 20,000 tents that clip on to the top of play yards are being recalled two years after a child died when his neck became trapped between the frame and the metal rod at the tent’s base.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission says a child can remove the clips that hold the portable Tots in Mind tents to the side of a play yard, creating a dangerous gap.

The recalled Cozy Indoor Outdoor Portable Playard Tents Plus Cabana Kits were sold by Walmart, Amazon.com and other retailers specializing in products for babies and children.

Replacement clips to attach the tents will be available in late August or early September. For information, call (800) 626-0339 or go to www.cpsc.gov.