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Students preparing to start graduate jobs in an office environment may want to check the cleanliness of the keyboards and mice when they get there, according to a report.

PROtech IT Hygiene, a UK IT equipment cleaning company, has released a report saying the average office contains 20,961 microbes per square inch, reports onrec.com.

Graham Thwaites, managing director of PROtech IT Hygiene, said: "Germs and dirt can accumulate, causing technology to malfunction, and increased absence amongst staff. Companies are taking IT hygiene far more seriously than ever before and we hope the new website will prove to be an invaluable source of new information."

The average number of sick days an employee takes in a year is 9.8 and the new study may worry employees further, claiming that E-coli can be found on your phone at work, while your keyboard acts as a tray to catch food skin and hair.

Telephones were the worst carriers of germs with an average of 25,127 microbes found on them.

Meanwhile the number of IT graduates has fallen, giving students hoping to start graduate careers in the sector a boost, according to a report.

The research, by the Higher Education Careers Services Unit, shows that graduate unemployment as a whole is down and people in graduate jobs are earning more than ever.

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