Employers
are looking for ‘soft skills’ in graduates – skills obtained during their study
and periods of work experience – rather than degree-specific knowledge,
according to new research.
Nearly
two-thirds (64 per cent) of vacancies on offer are open to graduates from any
discipline, according to the Graduate Market Trends survey.
The
report, published tomorrow by Graduate Prospects, shows that salaries for
graduates remain steady at an average of £18,362.
Management
consultancy positions command the highest mean salary at £22,418, followed by
economists and statisticians at £20,030.
London
and the South East remain the graduate recruitment hotspots for the UK, with
nearly a fifth (17.3 per cent) of all vacancies advertised in London, with just
over one in 10 (11.8 per cent) in the South East.
Mike
Hill, chief executive of Graduate Prospects, said: “That salaries for graduates
remain static should reassure those concerned about the employment prospects of
graduates, particularly amid the current debate on increasing participation.”
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