A new survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has confirmed that this year's graduates and school leavers will struggle to find work in what has become the deepest recession in decades. And it looks as if they will be the worst hit age-group.
Almost half of the employers surveyed by the CIPD said that they are not planning to recruit school leavers or graduates this summer.
Gerwyn Davies, the CIPD's public policy advisor, says: "Employers have for a long time had doubts about the employability of those leaving education. This year's crop face employers in a more choosy mood than ever before. Against this backdrop, graduates and school leavers need to sharpen their case for being picked ahead of their classmates - and fast."
Universities are going to greater lengths to help graduating students find work: while the University of Nottingham is getting ready for an influx of 'panicked' students, the University of Exeter is watching as fewer and fewer employers sign up for its summer graduate recruitment fair.
Comments (4)
Posted by Heather Collier | May 27, 2009 3:14 PM
It’s not all doom and gloom. Employers have recently reported that graduates are not applying for jobs or making the best of applications and doing badly at assessment centres. Unfortunately too many negative media messages about the prospects of finding work have given students the perception that there are no real jobs to be had.
New graduate internship initiatives such as Shell Step and Graduate Talent Pool can give this year’s graduates the short-term experience to give them a competitive edge in the jobs market. Employers can view interns with no commitment and be ready to snap up the talent when business improves.
Posted on May 27, 2009 15:14
Posted by Mike Hill, Graduate Prospects | May 28, 2009 9:17 AM
This isn’t the first recession, and history shows that those companies that stopped graduate recruitment altogether last time suffered a great deal - the inevitable upturn meant that they found themselves short of talent, fighting to fill the gaps. Therefore, a long-term perspective and keeping the pipeline open are crucial to avoid a very costly war for talent. At the moment, companies could look to place over-qualified candidates into lower paid jobs with the view to promoting them upwards as better opportunities arise. Graduates are always going to be a valuable resource and there’s no better time than a recession to flow some of the best young talent available into your business.
Posted on May 28, 2009 09:17
Posted by John Maxted | May 28, 2009 9:43 AM
Whilst I appreciate the forces at work here, one thing that companies should have learnt from previous downturns is that it’s extremely short termist to completely cut their graduate recruitment. We’d advocate looking across the board trying to balance recruitment cuts at all levels so no one area is decimated. Other possible ideas include the use of interim or temporary staff that might not hit overall head count quotas and increasing work experience opportunities for junior level staff.
Finally, it’s essential to maintain the ‘employer brand’ for when the upturn comes and you’re looking to hire again. Even if you’re not actively recruiting, maintain links with university careers departments and continuously look for opportunities to add value and promote your brand to this audience in other, creative ways.
Posted on May 28, 2009 09:43
Posted by Heather Collier | May 28, 2009 9:46 AM
It’s not all doom and gloom. Employers have recently reported that graduates are not applying for jobs or making the best of applications and doing badly at assessment centres. Unfortunately too many negative media messages about the prospects of finding work have given students the perception that there are no real jobs to be had.
New graduate internship initiatives such as Shell Step and Graduate Talent Pool can give this year’s graduates the short-term experience to give them a competitive edge in the jobs market. Employers can view interns with no commitment and be ready to snap up the talent when business improves.
Posted on May 28, 2009 09:46