NIU students who have been looking for employment might have already felt the blow of the recession.

Student employment is down this semester for both on-campus and off-campus employment.

On-campus Student Employment Director Solbeig Quinney said more students are looking for jobs this semester. Some departments had to cut back on hiring because of budget cuts, she said.

Every year on-campus employment places about 5,000 students with jobs, she said.

Normally, jobs are available to students in almost every department. These jobs range from modeling to tutoring, Quinney said.

“Students can be hired for anything that goes on campus,” she said.

Gary Scott, director of Career Planning and Placement, said the recession also is evident in his office.

“Many firms are still running lean,” he said. “In previous years firms would say they were going to hire so many in December to start in January. Now they have to worry about next week.”

Students must have at least six credit hours and a GPA of 2.0 or permission from their academic advisor to get a job on campus, Quinney said.

Students should look on the job vacancy bulletin board to apply for off campus jobs. Career Planning and Placement also sends referral services and job listings to each department.

“Students may not get the job they want, but if they really want a job we can usually find them one,” she said.