The number of new law graduates heading into private practice is on the rise for the first time in half a decade—albeit modestly.

That’s one key takeaway from the latest entry-level legal employment report from the National Association for Law Placement, which concluded that the jobs outcomes for the class of 2018 were the strongest since the 2008 recession and among the most robust from the past 20 years. That healthy employment rate—89%—was fueled by a combination of fewer law graduates competing for jobs and an uptick in associate hiring among the largest law firms.