Third of graduate jobs are left vacant because students are not learning the right workplace skills

Nearly one in three leading employers are forced to leave graduate jobs open because they are unable to find suitable candidates to fill them, a report found today.
They are being left with vacant posts despite the recession because of a shortage of applicants with the right workplace skills and degree disciplines.
Bosses also complain that choosy graduates are sitting on job offers while waiting for a better opportunity to arise and then leaving their other choices in the lurch.

 

Proud day: Graduates smile as they receive their degrees, but their work might not guarantee them a job as many lack the right workplace skills and degree disciplines according to a new report (file picture)

The report, from the Association of Graduate Recruiters, also found that employers are increasingly targeting recruitment at school-leavers - partly due to the increase in tuition fees.
Some are even cutting back on graduate recruitment in favour of hiring school-leavers, amid fears that talented youngsters will be put off higher education by rising costs, although the majority are maintaining graduate numbers.

 

One employer said: ‘The shift in political landscape is going to cause a lot of individuals to decide not to go to university and will impact where the talent goes in the marketplace. Most big employers are waking up to this and have developed their own apprenticeship programmes.’
Even though the number of graduates being turned out by universities is currently continuing to rise, nearly a third of 197 employers surveyed - 30.7 per cent - reported missing recruitment targets last year.

Shortage: Some graduates are getting through the interview stage but many are sitting on job offers waiting for a better one to come along and leaving bosses in the lurch (file picture)

The key reason for shortfalls - up to a quarter of graduate posts - was a tendency for candidates to apply to a large number of employers and hang on for the best offers.
One employer said: ‘In previous years, they would be open and honest about where they were applying but now they wait for other offers before making a decision.’
Other leading reasons were ‘not enough applicants with the right skills’ and a ‘shortage of applicants in specific geographical areas’.
In some cases, candidates had poor perceptions of the industry sector.
Overall, the survey found the number of vacancies offered dropped eight per cent last year amid employer uncertainty over the financial climate.
However it is expected to bounce back this year, rising nine per cent.
Meanwhile, graduate starting salaries are expected to rise to £26,500.
Graduates joining the public sector - organisations such as the civil service, Teach First, police forces, local government and the prison service - are set to enjoy the highest rise of any industry group, at 7.5 per cent, despite the Government’s austerity drive.
However, average starting salaries were second from bottom last year, at £23,250.
Carl Gilleard, chief executive of the AGR, said: ‘The results indicate a renewed level of optimism among organisations for the year ahead.
‘With the graduate job market inextricably linked to business confidence, it is reassuring to see that employers are committed to investing in graduate talent despite the backdrop of continuing global economic uncertainty.’