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Graduate Jobs Up 7.5% For 2016

18 Jan 2016

Graduate Jobs Up 7.5% For 2016

The number of graduate jobs expected to be on offer from the biggest recruiters is expected to be up by 7.5 percent in 2016.

The figure comes from a new report by High Fliers Research called ‘The Graduate Market in 2016’ which even shows that there were over 1,000 graduate jobs left unfilled last year. The annual survey by High Fliers Research is based on forecasts from 100 employers which final year university students deem to advertise the best career opportunities in the UK.

The surge in graduate vacancies continues apace, following on from a 8.1 percent rise in 2015 and a 7.9 percent jump in 2014.

The extra 7.5 percent of new graduate jobs which will be added this year will take the total number of vacancies advertised for UK graduates to record levels and will mark the fourth consecutive year of jobs growth for university leavers.

Of the 1,074 graduate vacancies which remained unfilled last year, most were because degree holders turned down the job offer rather than recruiters not being able to find strong enough talent from the graduate marketplace.

In the graduate job salary stakes, things are a little bit less exciting, with the average starting wage expected to be similar to the £30,000 on offer last year. The previous twelve months had seen starting salaries for graduates rise quite strongly, but it appears that the rate of wage growth for university leavers has levelled out for the time being, with Aldi offering £42,000, the same as in 2015.

And, as was the case last year too, previous work experience and internships are still well sought after by the most popular graduate recruiters, with around a third of vacancies expected to be filled by graduates who already have some work history for the company.

Commenting on the most recent survey results, the managing director of High Fliers Research, Martin Birchall, said: “For students leaving university this summer, it's very welcome news that Britain's top employers are recruiting their biggest-ever intake of new graduates in 2016 and will be investing a record amount in their training, development and starting salaries.

“But as the job market goes from strength to strength, it's clear that our brightest graduates are becoming increasingly choosy about the employers they join and last year record numbers turned down employers' job offers or changed their mind about an offer they had accepted during their final months at university,” added Mr Birchall.

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