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This year’s graduates are the most optimistic in 15 years

13 Jun 2013No Comments

The class of 2013 are the most optimistic bunch of graduates over their prospects of gaining employment for 15 years, according to research out today.

Nearly half (44 per cent) believe they will have snapped up graduate-style employment or are confident about their ability to get it by the time they leave university this summer – the highest percentage since 1998.

The survey of 18,252 students in their final year of university also shows the highest ever proportion of graduates (70 per cent) began their search for full-time employment before starting their final year at university. On average, they made 7.1 applications for a job.

The survey, conducted by High Fliers Research – which specialises in student and graduate research – shows students were three times more likely to secure a job if they had previously done work experience or internship with an employer – with 36 per cent in that category having already received one firm offer while only 11 per who had not had received an offer.

Meanwhile, salary expectations exceed those at the start of the economic squeeze in 2008 for the first time with the average expected figure being £22,800.

Martin Burchall, director of High Fliers Research, said the survey showed “just how hard today’s university students are working to secure a graduate job at the end of their degree”.

“Record numbers of students are now choosing to research their career options in their first or second year at university rather than leave job hunting until the final six months before graduation,” he added.

The biggest rise in applications was from students seeking engineering jobs – up 11.7 per cent – while the most unpopular job was the police force – with applications down by 22.7 per cent.

Source: The Independent

UK young people putting stock in technology future

07 Jun 2013No Comments

Young people in the UK are more tech savvy than their global counterparts according to new research.

The report by Telefónica surveyed more than 12,000 people in 27 countries and found that nearly half (49%) of 18 to 30 year olds in the UK believe they have excellent knowledge of technology compared to 30% worldwide.

As the generation who grew up with the internet, millennials believe an education in technology is now critical to their future success(25%), more so than any other discipline, including economics (18%), science (18%) or languages (8%).

And a significantly larger proportion of males (31%) compared to females (18%) identify technology as holding the key to future success.

Source: askGrapevineHR

Public sector leads jobs recovery

04 Jun 2013No Comments

A surge in public sector recruitment has given a fresh stimulus to the jobs market, pushing the growth in employment to a five-year high, research released today shows.

The increase was most notable in education, health and the medical profession, where the annual rate of jobs growth jumped 60pc, according to data from 10,000 recruitment agency outlets.

It is an unexpected contribution from the public sector to the healthier jobs market. To date, improvement has been down to the private sector replacing the widescale cuts in the public sector workforce. Economists had been expecting a slowdown in recruitment with the rise in jobless figures, but the latest Reed Job Index provides a more encouraging set of indicators.

The number of job openings rose 8pc last month to an annual rate of 17pc. One in four sectors reported a 10pc improvement with training – up 26pc – leading the way.

Almost all employment sectors and regions recorded improvements and only three – accountancy, financial services and purchasing – showed a slowdown in growth.

Source: The Telegraph

University applicants ‘optimistic’ about job prospects

27 May 2013No Comments

Students beginning university this September are more confident about their graduate job prospects than last year’s intake, according to a new survey.

Three-quarters of students (74.1 per cent) starting degrees this September think finding a graduate job will be “very easy” or “achievable”, compared with 65 per cent this time last year, it is claimed.

The research suggests perceptions of career prospects are improving among students, who have been severely hit by the economic downturn. It follows a recent study forecasting an eight per cent increase in the number of graduate roles available next year.

Today’s research, carried out by student accommodation providers UNITE, found that just over one-in-five (21.9 per cent) of this year’s applicants expect finding graduate jobs to be “a challenge”, down from 30 per cent last year.

“In many ways it is surprisingly given what’s been happening in the economy, but it underlines the confidence of this group of young people,” said Paul Harris of UNITE.

“Young people are going through the process with much more rigour than I did when I was going to university – they’re more confident in what they are getting out of it.”

Source: The Telegraph

Graduate job applications improve as they increase their employability, research finds

24 May 2013No Comments

Graduates are starting to realise the importance of improving their employability, according to research published by talent management firm, Alexander Mann Solutions (AMS).

As a result of the increased quality in applications, there has been a 4% increase to 47%, in the number of graduates who have secured placements with major employers this year.

Sonja Stockton, global head of diversity and emerging talent, AMS, said: “This trend is set to continue – as the process of graduate recruitment becomes more rigorous, universities are required to share more graduate data, more career coaching is provided and candidates become savvier about finding work.

“Employers are therefore reaching the most talented candidates more rapidly by being a lot clearer about their needs, while universities are under increasing pressure from Government to prepare students for the job-seeking process.

“This is a great opportunity for employers to home in on those graduates who are best suited to their business.”

AMS said employers wanting to attract the best quality graduates should be explicit about what they’re looking for and look beyond academic grades.

Source: HR Magazine