While the job market is still ailing, a new national survey of 4,600 employers suggests that jobs will be more plentiful for the graduating class of 2011. According to an annual survey conducted by Michigan State University, companies plan to boost their hiring of new college graduates with bachelor’s degrees by 10 percent.

Here are 10 things to know about the job market for new college grads:

1. Employers will increase hiring most significantly among grads with business- and technology-oriented majors. E-commerce and entrepreneurism look particularly hot this year and so does public relations.

2. Here’s good news for liberal arts majors: The largest percentage of employers (36 percent) say they will hire students regardless of major. What’s more, companies plan to boost hiring of liberal arts majors by 21 percent.

Fifteen percent of employers are looking for students with a “very broad liberal education.”

3. Hiring will be most vigorous in manufacturing, professional services, large commercial banking and the federal government.

4. Hiring is expected to drop for students who have majored in health sciences and social sciences.

5. Large corporations, with at least 4,000 employees, expect to hire an average of 114 college grads with bachelor’s degrees per company next year.

6. Prospects are worse for mid-size companies, which employ anywhere from 500 to 3,999. They will continue to shed jobs.

7. The hot spots for entry-level jobs for college grads are going to be in the Great Lakes region, where hiring is expected to jump 13 percent, and in the Mid-Atlantic region, which should experience a 10 percent boost in jobs.

8. Large corporations now hire about 50 percent to 75 percent of new employees from their own intern pools.

9. Compared with graduates from five years ago, employers say that today’s young job candidates produce better résumés, but they don’t conduct themselves as professionally. Employers also worry that students now cannot articulate their skills as well and lack realistic career expectations.

10. Despite a better job environment for college graduates, it’s sadly nowhere close to being ideal.

“This step is the first out of a deep hole,” Phil Gardner, director of the institute, wrote in Michigan State’s latest report, Recruiting Trends 2010-2011. “The recovery in the college market does not run deep at this time.”

Lynn O’Shaughnessy is the author of The College Solution, an Amazon bestseller and a workbook, Shrinking the Cost of College: 152 Ways to Cut the Cost of a Bachelor’s Degree. Follow her on Twitter.

Here’s what I told her: Absolutely!

I was thrilled that this young woman was already thinking about retirement. As a long-time financial journalist, I’ve been telling young people, including my own kids and nieces and nephews, for years that saving for retirement when you’re in your 20s can give you a huge financial cushion.

I thought I might as well turn my email response into a full-blown post of financial advice for college graduates so here goes:

Financial Tip No. 1: Start Early

The power of compound interest is the reason why young Americans, who start saving early, can amass a fortune. In fact, they can save dramatically less cash and be far richer than people who wake up in their 40s and 50s and realize they have to get busy stashing money away. (Most people fall in the latter group!) Think of compounding as a snowball that gets to roll down an entire mountain instead of just one slope. That’s going to be one big snowball.

Financial Tip No. 2:  Start a Roth IRA. The first account you should open up is a Roth IRA. In life, there are certain things that are beyond indispensable. Like brake lights, hot showers, birthday candles and second chances. And if you’re saving for retirement, the Roth IRA, belongs on that list.

You can find out why in this old Roth IRA post that I wrote when I still had a personal finance blog. I know. I know. My abandoned blog looks awfully pathetic.

Financial Tip No. 3: Deposit automatically to the Roth.

Have a certain amount automatically withdrawn from a checking or savings account each month and deposited into your Roth IRA. Auto-pilot investing works wonderfully with 401(k)s, but many people don’t think to use the same strategy at home. Pay yourself first.

Financial Tip No. 4: Invest in Index Funds

I only invest in low-cost  index funds. My kids’ 529 plans are invested in Vanguard index funds. The retirement accounts that belong to my husband and I are all invested in index funds. I recommend that your starter index fund be Vanguard’s Total Stock Market Index Fund. You’ll want your investments to become more diversified once you’ve got enough money to sink into two or more mutual funds.

Financial Tip No. 5: Use the Rule of 72.

If you’re wondering how fast your money can multiply, the Rule of 72 is always handy. This easy formula allows you to figure out how long it’ll take your money to double. Let’s suppose you expect your portfolio to earn an average 6% a year. In this scenario, your portfolio would double in 12 years. (72 divided by 6). In contrast, if you stuck your cash in a savings account earning 2% interest, the incubation period would be a very long 36 years.

Financial Tip No. 6: Use a Calculator

If you’re unsure how quickly you can attain your goal and/or you need motivation, plenty of online financial calculators can help. Here is a financial calculator that can help you figure out how fast your savings will grow.

Lynn O’Shaughnessy is the author of The College Solution, an Amazon bestseller, and she also writes a college blog for CBSMoneyWatch.com. Follow her on Twitter.

How much is a college degree worth?

Turns out that a bachelor’s degree might not be as valuable as you think.

For years the College Board has suggested that a college graduate earns about $800,000 more over his or her lifetime than high school graduates. This earnings figure, however, is apparently way off.

The real lifetime earnings advantage could be just $450,000. That reduced figure comes from the College Board’s senior policy analyst. Another study by the American Institutes for Research suggests that the earnings advantage is a mere $279,893.

So what happened? It turns out that the methodology for calculating the lifetime earnings of college graduates was flawed. You can learn how the value of a college degree was overblown by reading my recent college blog post at CBSMoneyWatch.

Lynn O’Shaughnessy is the author of The College Solution, an Amazon bestseller. Follow her on Twitter.

1. Ten Hottest Careers for College Graduates

Whether you’re a college student, a recent college grad or looking for a mid-career move, here are some of the most promising careers you’ll find throughout the country.

2. States with the Most and Least College Graduates

I bet you can guess which state produces the most young college graduates. It’s Massachusetts. But where does your state stack up? You’ll find the link to nonprofit website that will provide grad rates for all 50 states as well as a breakdown of every country.

3. Ivy League Endowment Report Card: F

Yale and Harvard have long been admired for the tremendous performance of their endowments. The Ivy League finance geniuses don’t look so smart now.

Learn more about shrinking the cost of college by visiting my college blog archive and reading my book, The College Solution. — Lynn O’Shaughnessy