TAIPEI, March 9 (Xinhua) -- New college graduates in Taiwan have lowered their expectations for salaries as the new hiring season begins in March, but the starting salaries they seek are still higher than what employers are willing to offer, according to surveys by different job sites.

On average, expectant college graduates hoped for a starting monthly salary of 32,015 new Taiwan dollars (about 1,036 U.S. dollars), according to a survey on 970 college students who will graduate this summer, conducted by 1111 Job Bank, a job service website in Taiwan, from Feb. 20 to March 6.

The average salary graduates asked for was 1,038 new Taiwan dollars less than the previous year, according to the 1111 Job Bank.

Companies, however, are offering an average salary of 27,767 new Taiwan dollars for private college graduates, and 29,376 new Taiwan dollars for public university graduates, according to a survey on 1,022 companies made by Yes123, another online job site, from Feb. 20 to March 5.

Yes123's survey also found that the halo effect of prestigious universities still helps students find jobs, as more than one-third of employers said they are more willing to hire a graduate if the job-seeker is from a prestigious university.

Graduates with multiple majors are more likely to receive a job offer, with 60 percent of the surveyed employers saying multiple majors would boost the hiring likelihood for a graduate, according to Yes123.

About 83.2 percent of the surveyed enterprises said they will hire through campus job fairs this year, Yes123 said.