Washington, Oct 28 (IANS): Hiring of college graduates is expected to jump 16 percent in the US, though the starting salaries will see only a modest growth, says a study.

About 60 percent of employers said they will keep starting pay the same as last year for the newly minted degree-holders, the survey of more than 5,700 companies revealed.

The remainder will offer salary increases of an average of a three to five percent, the findings showed.

"Pressure on employers to increase starting salaries has been minimal since the market crash in 2008," said study author Phil Gardner from Michigan State University in the US.

More employers, however, are increasing their incentives to attract the best candidates as the job market improves, Gardner said.

The survey found that engineers at all degree levels continue to receive the highest starting salaries.

For example, a new electrical engineer with a bachelor's degree will on an average make about $57,000 (Rs.3,497,263.50) per year.

On the lower end of the starting salary scale, those with new bachelor's degrees in social work, advertising and psychology can expect to start at about $37,000 (Rs. 2,270,153.50).

The findings precede the full Recruiting Trends report, the largest survey of employers' hiring intentions for college graduates in the US. The full report will be released in November.