Recent college graduates who entered the workforce in May witnessed increases in both hiring forecasts and average salary offers, a national study showed.

Class of 2011 graduates experienced a 19.3-percent surge in job offers compared to the Class of 2010, according to an April 2011 job outlook report conducted by the National Association for Colleges and Employers.

The association also found that the average salary offer for bachelor’s degree graduates climbed 6 percent from $48,288 in 2010 to $51,171 in 2011.

“We are seeing that employers are continuing to hire college graduates, even though everything else points to trouble in the economy,” Andrea Koncz, the association’s employment information manager, said.

Koncz said older members of the workforce are retiring, resulting in job openings that might not have been available a few years ago.

Computer-related degree recipients experienced a 9.6-percent jump in their average salaries, which soared from $58,189 to $63,760 over the last year.

Meanwhile, Class of 2011 engineers saw an average salary offer increase of 2.8 percent to $60,291. Those majoring specifically in petroleum engineering, the highest-paid major in the report, saw a 7.1-percent salary boost to $82,740.

The study also showed that employers plan to hire 9.5 percent more graduates from the Class of 2012 than they did from the Class of 2011. According to the National Association for Colleges and Employers’ findings, “They are most interested in hiring graduates in business, engineering, or tech-related disciplines.”

Jeffrey Dagley, communications coordinator for the GW Career Center, advised students to remember that the data represent averages.

“Different parts of the country and different industries will not yield the same positive numbers,” Dagley said. “Now is the perfect time for students graduating in May 2012 to evaluate their job search plans with their GW career consultants, taking into account desired jobs, industries and locations.”