Students are becoming more selective when it comes to employment

New figures show that more university graduates are entering postgraduate education and are more selective over the employment they accept.

Research found that the 100 leading UK employers had reduced the number of graduates they hired in 2017.

Despite this, graduate unemployment, measured according to whether or not a student found a job after six months after graduation, stood at 5.3% in the 2017/18 period, which is its lowest rate in near 30 years.

According to a Prospects report, graduates are choosing postgraduate education, with around 16% selecting this in 2017 which is an increase from the 13% in 2016.

Head of Higher Education Intelligence at Prospects, Charlie Ball, stated: “The graduate labour market has held up well despite the economic and political shocks of 2016”.

Ball continued: “Employers continue to recruit and need skilled workers, but some graduates are not behaving as they usually do in this kind of climate, instead turning to further study.”

The prospect report also demonstrated that in 2016, more graduates entered fields such as nursing, cinematography, finance, and marketing.

A fall was seen in graduates working in teaching, medicine, and civil engineering.

It has also been suggested that graduates are more selective in seeking work which suits their skill sets and aspirations.

University of Southampton lead careers practitioner Andy Port commented for The Guardian: “Developing self-understanding and self-knowledge is the key to career happiness, success and fulfilment.

“Equipped with this, a graduate is much more likely to make better career choices and feel more motivated to perform effectively in their role.”

Stephanie Redding, a careers consultant at the University of Warwick, said that the public sector is also sought after by graduates, with the civil service fast stream, which can fast-track applicants into leadership positions, being popular. She told The Guardian: “A lot of students want a career where they are making a difference and affecting policy change, so it is a very popular area.”