Graduates seek postgraduate study to weather recession

Graduates seek postgraduate study to weather recession
Graduates seek postgraduate study to weather recession

In a bid to beat the recession, the majority of university careers advisors have reported that final year students are continuing into further study (81 percent) or trying to gain work experience (63 percent), according to a survey by the Higher Education Careers Services Unit (HECSU).

In what is widely reported as the worst recession since the Second World War, the study also reveals 17 percent of university careers advisers have reported a decline in the number of students and graduates seeking guidance. Only just over a third, 35 percent, reported an increase in the number of students and graduates seeking careers advice.

In the same survey, 78 percent of university careers services reported a decrease in the number of graduate jobs being advertised this year. However, some careers advisers had seen an increase in the number of graduate vacancies being advertised by locally-based companies, SMEs and community or voluntary organisations; particularly in the public, social care, education and engineering sectors.

HECSU researcher Kathrine Jensen led the study and comments: “With so many students graduating during a recession this should be a busy time for university careers services, helping students compile CVs and applications as well as prepare for interviews, but it seems this isn’t always the case. The rise in graduate opportunities in smaller companies could be due to the proactive approach being taken by many careers services to fill the shortfall of opportunities from the usual employers that advertise with them.”

University career services are also finding that graduate recruitment within the banking, finance, law and construction industries has been worst hit by the recession, and that there has been a decline in the number of vacancies being advertised by large, national companies.

Human Resources news brought to you by theHRDIRECTOR – the only independent strategic HR publication.
  

2 September 2009 

Read more

Latest News

Read More

Navigating the summer holidays as a working parent/caregiver

28 July 2025

Culture

28 July 2025

In today’s fast-paced work environment, emotional intelligence (EI) is a must-have skill for HR leaders. It's the key to building stronger relationships, enhancing communication, resolving...

Change Management

26 July 2025

Communicating redundancy proposals is a profoundly challenging task, which directly impacts the lives of those who are leaving. It can also have a ripple effect...

Newsletter

Receive the latest HR news and strategic content

Please note, as per the GDPR Legislation, we need to ensure you are ‘Opted In’ to receive updates from ‘theHRDIRECTOR’. We will NEVER sell, rent, share or give away your data to third parties. We only use it to send information about our products and updates within the HR space To see our Privacy Policy – click here

Latest HR Jobs

Natural Environment Research Council – NERC – Research and Skill Directorate (Discovery Team)Salary: £36,650 per annum. UKRI Band D

Scholars School SystemSalary: £45,000 to £50,000

Human Resources Manager – Manufacturing – Birmingham We are delighted to represent a prestigious, multinational manufacturing organisation in their appointment of a Human Resources Manager

Job Title: Human Resources Manager Location: Office-based, Palmers Green N13 Job Type: Full-time, Permanent Salary: £40,000 – £45,000 per annum (dependent on experience) Overview We

Read the latest digital issue of theHRDIRECTOR for FREE

Read the latest digital issue of theHRDIRECTOR for FREE