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Over 70% Of Graduates Feel Underemployed. Are You One Of Them?

05 Jul 2017

Over 70% Of Graduates Feel Underemployed. Are You One Of Them?

The number of graduates who feel ‘underemployed’ is rising according to new data by Accenture Strategy, a leading global professional services company.

The firm’s recent ‘UK University Graduate Employment Study’ shows that 71% of recent graduates feel underemployed or underutilised in a graduate-level role. That figure is up 11% from the 60% of recent graduates who felt the same way in Accenture Strategy’s survey from just two years ago.

The good news is that more graduates seem to be finding work quicker in their desired field, with 60% of recent graduates already working in their chosen sector, compared with just 46% at the same time a year ago.

This year’s study canvassed the opinions of more than 1,000 university leavers and also found that graduates are more than willing to up sticks and move in order to score a good graduate job in their chosen field. More than 8 in 10 graduates said that they would be willing to relocate to another part of the country for a good position.

And, despite the fact that only 7 in 10 graduates from 2015/2016 commanded a graduate salary of more than £25,000, 85% of this year’s graduate optimists said that they expected to land a role with at least that salary. The same percentage of graduates also said that they anticipated staying in the same graduate role for at least two years.

More than half of the graduates surveyed said that they expected their employer to provide training as part of their graduate package.

Commenting on the survey’s findings, Accenture Strategy’s managing director, Payal Vasudeva, said: “The proportion of graduates who feel that they are underemployed increased again this year, up to 71% from 60% in 2015. Paradoxically, this is set against a backdrop of more grads being employed full time in their field of study, up from 46% to 60% over the past 12 months.”

“This highlights a need for companies to understand what motivates Gen Z graduates and provide a meaningful employee experience for them,” added Ms Vasudeva.

The study also brings to light the fact that in order to land the best graduate jobs, it’s important to get some solid work experience in addition to scoring high in degree qualifications. And that’s where we can help you if you are still at college or university. Get some experience under your belt by applying for relevant part time jobs or internships in your area now.

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