The biggest fear among today’s graduates is that they won’t be able to land a job in their preferred industry, new research suggests.Graduate jobs forum WikiJob surveyed over 1,000 graduates and discovered that almost two-thirds of them (61 percent) were most concerned about being unable to get a job in the industry or company they want. 

The other two key fears were not being able to earn enough money for a decent standard of living, cited by 17 percent as their biggest worry, and getting burnt out in their career (10 percent). The area today’s graduates appear least concerned about is that their jobs will become redundant in the future, despite a recent BBC investigation finding that around 35 percent of UK jobs are at high risk of being replaced by computers or robots.

Commenting on the findings, James Rice, Head of Digital Marketing at WikiJob, said: “This survey shows how graduates are very aware of the high levels of competition for placements on graduate schemes for the UK’s top employers. Despite recent rises in hiring volumes, and the prospects for graduate employment better than they’ve been in a decade, the pressure is still very much on for the top jobs where salaries are higher.

“WikiJob is considered an important resource by many graduates aiming to get on these schemes, as it tends to have the most up-to-date information on interviews and assessment centres for major recruiters. Certainly we’re seeing a high level of activity at the moment as graduates seek a way to gain an advantage over their peers for these tough-to-get positions.”