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Local job listings jump 28 percent

The abundant crop of fresh graduates finishing up this month at the city's universities have some good news that could help keep them in town.

The abundant crop of fresh graduates finishing up this month at the city's universities have some good news that could help keep them in town.

Online job postings in the Philadelphia area jumped 28 percent in April over the same time last year, City Controller Alan Butkovitz announced yesterday.

"The increase in job postings demonstrates we're on the road to recovery and that college students and young adults have more opportunities to land a job," Butkovitz said. "It's important that the city does everything it can to attract these jobs and keep graduates in our city."

The sciences saw the greatest rise among opportunities online, with a 43 percent increase. Jobs in the health-care field followed, jumping by 35 percent from April 2010, according a news release.

One local economic expert - Philip Hopkins, director of research for Select Greater Philadelphia, an affiliate of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce - said the increase in job listings is not surprising.

"Things are better than they were a year ago, in particular for college grads," Hopkins said. "Employment in the region is up and more consistent with jobs ads. But I would caution, the job market still has a way to go."

Although the unemployment rate for Philadelphia's metropolitan area has deceased over the past year, it still sat at 8.5 percent in March, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.