The consulting and accounting firm EY is aggressively recruiting on college campuses this spring. The company formerly known as Ernst & Young plans to hire 9,000 graduates from U.S. universities this year, up from 7,500 in 2014. But recruiting isn't as easy as it used to be.

"I'm seeing a lot more competition" from rival employers, says Dan Black, EY's Americas recruiting leader.

That's good news for college seniors and graduate students preparing to accept diplomas this spring, and a sign that new graduates will fare better than they did in 2014. The Labor Department reported on Thursday that the unemployment rate for Americans in their 20s who received a four-year or advanced degree last year rose to 12.4 percent from 10.9 percent in 2013.

"This is a real breakout year," said Philip Gardner, director of Michigan State University's Collegiate Employment Research Institute.

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Record clerk Josh Kelly puts LP records in sales bins at Vintage Vinyl Records Tuesday, April 14, 2015, in Fords, N.J. A recent Rutgers graduate, Kelly is working at the record store and living with friends while he tries to land a job in journalism or radio programming.

Record clerk Josh Kelly puts LP records in sales bins at Vintage Vinyl Records Tuesday, April 14, 2015, in Fords, N.J. A recent Rutgers graduate, Kelly is working at the record store and living with friends while he tries to land a job in journalism or radio programming. | Mel Evans AP Photo

In a survey of employers last fall, the employment center found that hiring of graduates with four-year degrees will rise 16 percent this year.

"It's led by the ones you would expect — engineering and business," Gardner said. "But there seems to be a lot of room for everybody... Even arts and humanities are making a comeback."

Miami Herald