There is a bright outlook for this year's graduating seniors, as a new survey revealed that employers expect to hire 17.4 percent more new college students after graduation than last year.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) released the Job Outlook 2007 Fall Preview Survey, which also said only 5.4 percent of employers are hiring less than last year, said Andrea Koncz, employment information manager.

Koncz said this year's hiring increase also marks the fourth consecutive year NACE has seen an increase in college graduate hiring. She also said she expects a bright outlook for next year as well.

NACE studied three employment sectors from 257 employers across the country for the survey: service, manufacturing and government/nonprofit, Koncz said.

"The service employers had the best outlook with about 20 percent more new college graduates [being hired]," she said.

She added that such jobs include consulting services, building material manufacturers and construction companies.

The survey also found that students' chances of finding a job depend on where they look.

The South experienced the largest boost due to an increase of 25.5 percent in hiring, while employers in the West had the lowest increase at 15.8 percent.

The Northeast region had a 16.9 percent boost in graduate hiring, according to the study.

The results of such growth were also felt at this year's Fall Career Days.

Jack Rayman, senior director for career services, said 512 employers attended this year's fair compared to 440 in 2005 -- a 16 percent increase.

The economy and retirement decide the hiring rate for a given year, Koncz said.

"The economy is good, and the companies are growing," Koncz said. "[The employers] are seeing a lot more retirement, and they have more positions available for new college graduates."

In an earlier study conducted by NACE, computer science engineering services were among the top hiring increases.

Raj Acharya, a computer science and engineering professor and department head, said the number of students enrolling in this major surprisingly has not seen much of an increase.

"I think what happened [was] the dot-com bust led to a drop in the number of students, and it is slowly starting to build up," he said.

Taiwo Alo (graduate-electrical engineering) graduated last May and, after three months, was employed at CCRD partners, professional and consulting engineers, he said.

He said he "loves his current job, and couldn't ask for better co-workers."

Zachary Adams (graduate-electrical engineering) also graduated last May and got a job after three months.

He said even though those three months were a trying time, he was "pretty lucky compared to other students."