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Those of you looking for graduate jobs in London may be surprised to learn just how competitive the marketplace for jobs in Whitehall has become. There are now 44 people chasing each top graduate job in the civil service – an increase of around a third. And further, the figure has actually doubled since 2006 - meaning that over 22,000 people are now hoping to land one of the 500 fast track places available.
It is thought that this rise could be due in part to the current economic climate forcing those hoping for a graduate job in London to adjust their outlook. With the number of staff cuts that are taking place in the City, it looks like more people are perhaps thinking that graduate jobs in the public sector could have more security than similar paid jobs in the business world. Typical starting salaries in both sectors begin at around the £25,000 per year mark.
The General Secretary of the senior civil servants' union, Jonathan Baume said that this was all very good news for the civil service. He added that, “Whitehall is a really interesting place to work - people know they won't be taking a boring job."
Those who manage to secure one of these highly sought after jobs will often work in the private offices of ministers and could become senior civil servants – the very people who have a strong influence on policy and manage important government agencies. Those who start from these graduate jobs go on to senior posts in such areas as Revenue & Customs or the Department for Work and Pensions.
What is particularly interesting is that the increase in applicants has come against the back-drop of government plans to reduce the total size of the civil service in the next few years.
So, what does all of this mean for people looking for London graduate jobs? Well, it could be suggested that this development will actually mean that there will be less competition for private sector business jobs. This could make them more attractive to applicants who are looking for such types of jobs as it will increase their chances of at least being selected for an interview.
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