Things are looking sunny in the rainy city of Seattle. The Seattle Times reports that Washington state's job outlook appears brighter for college graduates.

This brighter outlook is due to an improvement in the economy. The unemployment rate decreased in April to 9.1 percent, down from 9.2 percent in March. The private sector added 8,300 jobs, led by the manufacturing, construction, and business sectors.

Career services at Seattle University reports that the market hasn't been this active in years.

The Times article also reports that employers plan to hire 19 percent more graduates this spring than they did a year ago. Most of those openings are in engineering and accounting.

Yet salaries have declined. The median starting salary for students graduating from four-year colleges in 2009 and 2010 was $27,000, down from $30,000 for those who started working in 2006 and 2007.

And the job outlook is grim for teens, who must compete with adults for those jobs in the service sector that were once the formers' preserve (restaurants, retail, etc.). Only 27 percent of teens are expected to secure jobs this summer -- a disturbingly low number.

Whether the economic recovery will continue is anyone's guess. What's clear, however, is that a college degree gives job seekers a clear advantage over their less educated peers. The wide array of skills learned from a college degree will ensure greater success in what is a ferociously competitive job market.