Few jobs for inexperienced graduates

Graduates without work experience stand little chance of securing a job this year, despite a rise in vacancies, according to new research.

More than a third of the graduate vacancies available this year are expected to be taken by people who have already worked for the firm while they were studying, according to a report by High Fliers Research.

The report, which looks at the graduate job market in 2012, found that the employers expected to hire 6.4 per cent more university leavers this summer than they did last year.

Nearly half of the firms questioned said they expected to recruit more graduates this summer, with a further quarter aiming to take on the same number as in 2011.

But in total, 36 per cent of the vacancies on offer this year are likely to be filled by applicants who worked for the company concerned while they were at university. It means that many of those without work experience are likely to be left out in the cold, the report suggests.

Martin Birchall, managing director of High Fliers Research, said the rise in graduate vacancies is “welcome news”.

But he added: “Today’s report includes the stark warning to the ‘Class of 2012’ that in a highly competitive graduate job market, new graduates who’ve not had any work experience at all during their time at university have little hope of landing a well-paid job.”