Fewer enterprises in Taiwan hired new college graduates this year, compared with last year, according to the results of an on-line poll released Friday.

The survey, conducted by 1111 Manpower Bank, an on-line job search firm, collected valid responses from 507 enterprises July 13-27, said a report reaching here from Taipei.

Results showed that 79.88 percent of the employers said they have recruited new college graduates this year, down 5 percent from last year.

Another 13.61 percent said they did not hire any college graduates this year, although they had done so in previous years.

Asked about their preferences in choosing graduates, 49.37 of the employers said that in the category of state-run universities, they favored graduates from National Cheng Kung University, followed by National Taiwan University (34.81 percent), and National Tsing Hua University (32.91 percent).

In the category of private universities, 47.47 percent of the employers said they preferred graduates from Tamkang University, followed by Fujen Catholic University (42.41 percent) and Chung Yuan Christian University (37.9 percent).