The demand for recent college graduates is slowly returning to pre-recession levels.

College hiring is expected to increase 9.6 percent this year, according to the National Association for Colleges and Employers.

Executive Director of TCU Career Services John Thompson said the hiring outlook for soon-to-be graduates is positive.

“We’ve had a record number of employers on campus, and I’m pretty optimistic about what’s happening with our students,” Thompson said.

Nationally, colleges are seeing an increase in recruiting on campuses.

Prior to 2009, the unemployment rate for recent college graduates was around 5.5 percent. During the recession, that rate almost doubled.

Slowly, the rate has declined and now stands at around 8 percent.

Thompson said TCU’s hiring rate, not including students who choose to attend graduate school or do not actively search for jobs, is about 80 percent.

These numbers reflect students who secure a job up to six months after graduation.

Nika Tafarroji, a senior graphic design major, is currently looking for a job, but is confident there are opportunities out there.

“I’m not worried that I won’t get a job a few months after graduation just because I’ve gotten a lot of interviews and they’ve gone well,” Tafarroji said.

Tafarroji said that eight or nine of the 11 students in her program already have jobs.

Thompson said that the best way secure a job is to start the job search freshman year, lining up internships and putting together a resume.

“We see more students than we’d like who wait until the last minute to start their job search,” Thompson said.

He said students that are nervous about their job prospects should visit Career Services.