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The percentage of newly minted law school graduates who found work in the field increased for the fifth straight year, according to new employment data from the American Bar Association.

The figures released Monday show 79 percent of the class of 2018 secured full-time, long-term jobs that either require bar passage or for which a law degree offers an advantage within 10 months of graduation — up from 75 percent the previous year.

But as in previous years, some of that gain was fueled by fewer law graduates competing for jobs rather than a notable increase in the number of entry-level legal jobs. The actual number of the bar-required and J.D.-advantage jobs increased by 714, or slightly less than 3 percent. Yet the total number of J.D. graduates in 2018 fell by 583, or nearly 2 percent. The combination yielded relatively strong outcomes for the 2018 graduating class.

Law School Transparency executive director Kyle McEntee warned law schools should not become too comfortable with the upward trajectory.

The entering class of 2015, which went on to graduate in 2018, represents the recent low point in national law school enrollment. First-year enrollment has crept up slightly in each subsequent year, meaning there will be more graduates entering the job market next year for the first time in five years.

“Schools will suffer consequences unless we see an uptick in the actual number of jobs,” McEntee said. “The economy is pretty much full steam ahead now. We're close to full employment according to some economists.”

Despite the strong economy, the number of entry-level, full-time legal jobs has consistently come in at around 23,000 in recent years, according to data compiled by Law School Transparency. That figure ranged from 27,000 to 30,000 from 1985 to 2010, the data show. While the overall economy has recovered from the 2008 recession, entry-level legal employment has not fully rebounded.

Not all employment sectors saw gains, according to the new ABA data. The percentage of new graduates going into public interest positions increased nearly 4 percent, while the percentage in clerkships increased 3 percent. By contrast, the percentage going into business and industry declined more than 7 percent, while the percentage going into government jobs fell slightly, and 14 percent fewer new graduates embarked on careers as solo practitioners.

The ABA data show the percentage of new graduates working at law firms held steady in 2018, but McEntee said a closer look reveals hiring was up about 1 percent at the largest firms. That growth in turn primarily benefits the relatively small segment of elite law schools from which Big Law recruits most heavily.

Consistent with recent years, the percentage of new graduates in jobs funded by their law schools declined by 15 percent. Fewer than 2 percent of the class of 2018 were in such positions, according to the ABA.

The overall unemployment rate, which counts law graduates with no job and those seeking one, decreased in 2018.