Senior Erika Zoller said there's no point in looking for a job in New Mexico when she graduates this month.
That is because the job market in New Mexico is less than ideal for recent graduates, she said.
"New Mexico is more of a place to retire, not a place to start a career," Zoller said. "We don't have a lot of money in this state, and it's hard to find jobs that aren't dealing with crime or drug abuse."
According to data from the 2000 Census, young college graduates tend to move out of New Mexico, while older graduates and young people without degrees tend to move to the state.
The National Center for Higher Education Management Systems used data from the 2000 Census for its report.
According to the report, the net migration of 22- to 29-year-olds with either some college or a bachelor's degree leaving New Mexico between 1995 and 1999 was 4,580. However, the net migration of 22- to 29-year-olds with less than a high-school education moving into New Mexico was 1,895.
Net migration is the total amount of people who moved into the state, minus the amount of people who moved out.
The total net migration for 22- to 29-year-olds leaving the state was 1,694. The total net migration of 30- to 64-year-olds moving into New Mexico was 11,077, according to the report.
Zoller said New Mexico presents little opportunity to use her sociology degree, and she will probably leave the state to start her career. She said New Mexico's job market is good for a few select professions, especially those related to the defense industry and other high-tech fields.
Leslye Ellison, director of UNM Career Services, agreed with Zoller.
"Part of why you see people leaving and then coming back is some people - depending on their major - is necessary for them to leave the state to start a career," Ellison said.
She said graduates often come back to the state later in life to retire or because of family ties.
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New Mexico's economy mirrors that of the country, with an emphasis on technology and defense research, so students who are competent in those areas will have an easier time finding jobs in the state, at places like Sandia National Laboratories and Intel Corp., Zoller said.
However, the report indicates thousands of people with skills in those areas are leaving the state. The net migration of 22- to 29-year-olds who specialized in computers and left New Mexico for work was 1,293.
The case was similar for engineers and architects.
Ellison said she does not doubt the accuracy of the statistics, but said it doesn't tell the whole story. It only measures people moving in and out of the state, she said, and does not measure how many people stay in the state. A survey conducted by Career Services among graduates showed that 60 to 65 percent of UNM graduates got a job in New Mexico immediately after college, without moving to another state to start a career, Ellison said.
She said the patterns shown by the Census represent a problem to New Mexico, because even if people do leave the state, many of them end up coming back. She said she views the pattern as healthy attrition.
Kathy Cantrell, interim secretary of the Department of Higher Education, said she thinks graduate migration is a problem because of difficulties of supply and demand in the New Mexico job market.
"We're a little bit out of balance as far as what jobs are available and what degrees people have," Cantrell said.
She said the Department of Higher Education will work with companies and schools to try to rectify the imbalance.
