Unemployment graduates survey examines growing ‘worthlessness’

THE first ever survey of Scottish university graduate employment has been launched amid concern over the growing numbers of those with degrees who are struggling to find work.

As well as those unable to find employment of any kind, the survey by Citizens Advice Scotland will focus on the 36 per cent of recent graduates who are in a lower level of employment than they are trained for.

Scottish graduate unemployment is now approaching 20 per cent.

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Susan McPhee, acting chief executive of Citizens Advice Scotland, said: “We’re undertaking this research because for some time now CAB advisers across Scotland have been reporting an increase in the numbers of graduates who are facing financial problems because they can’t get work.

“We want to investigate the extent of these problems, and to give those affected a platform to have their say.”

She added: “Many graduates have told us they feel that all the time, money and effort spent on their education now seems worthless. Some have told us they feel nobody ever listens to them. Well, we are listening now, and we promise that we will take the information they give us very seriously and will present it to both governments and all other relevant agencies so that they will do the same.”

The survey, which will run until 7 May, is open to anyone in Scotland who has graduated in the last six years.

Citizens Advice Scotland said the outlook for recent graduates was “bleak”, with the unemployment rate in the final quarter of 2011 sitting at 18.9 per cent.

Professor John McLaren, of the Centre for Public Policy for Regions, said the impact of graduate unemployment would depend on how quickly the economy begins to recover.

He said: “We are still in a very uncertain position and we need to wait and see what the outcome will be. One scenario is that we have unemployed graduates, but another is that they will take jobs which would normally have gone to other people.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The Scottish Government is determined to tackle unemployment among young people, whether they are graduates, school or college leavers. We have the UK’s first dedicated Minister for Youth Employment, who is focused specifically on how we get more 16 to 24-year-olds into employment. A key part of our work is helping ensure graduates can access graduate-level jobs.

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“We are committed to improving labour market conditions in Scotland and to tackling unemployment, skills gaps and lack of opportunity – as set out in our refreshed Economic Strategy. We continue to provide support to Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise for their graduate placement programme, while we also fund the ‘Adopt-an-Intern’ programme to deliver more graduate placements.”

Earlier this year, there were warnings the unemployment crisis could leave a “lost generation”, with 18 to 24-year-olds accounting for more than a third of Scotland’s jobless total.

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