International Students Face Uphill Battle Securing US Jobs
International Students Face Uphill Battle Securing US Jobs NEW YORK— For most of the graduating class of 2016, the future is looking up. Research on U.S. college graduate employment conducted by the consulting firm Accenture shows that 21 percent of this year's college seniors accepted a job before graduating — nearly double the figure from the previous two years. Additionally, a vast majority of them — 88 percent — are optimistic they will land a job in their field, up 23 points from 2015. "The grads are telling us they've really thought about what they want to do in the future," said David Smith, senior managing director of Accenture Strategy. "They've studied the job market, they've thought about careers. And they did that prior to entering colleges and universities." As a result of their pragmatism, Smith says, graduates are beginning to see their research pay off. But these improved numbers, which speak to both an overall improvement in the