Final-year
university students are more pessimistic about finding a job than at any other
time in the past 10 years.
This
is the finding of the UK Graduates Survey 2002, the largest research of its
kind.
The
Financial Times said almost 75 per cent of the 14,000 graduates surveyed
believed there were fewer jobs available post- 11 September.
Despite
recent good news on job growth, only 40 per cent expect to starts in a job
after university, down from 50 per cent in 1998.
Students
expect a starting salary of around £18,700. The average level of student debt
now stands at £9,100 – up 50 per cent on 2001.