Survey of Class ‘09

ACCORDING TO A survey conducted in March, the Class of 2009 are expected to fare quite differently in the graduate job market to their predecessors. The survey, based on interviews with 16,357 finalists nationwide, reveals that fewer students have applied for graduate jobs in business and finance, instead favouring their chances in the public sector.

The survey was completed across 30 top universities in the UK, including Durham, Bristol, Oxford and Cambridge. 52% of university leavers are recorded as having described prospects for new graduates as “very limited.”

Although the volume of job applications made by final year students has increased notably this year, the proportion of those who have received an offer has fallen by a third compared with 2008.

One in six job hunters have confirmed that they deliberately targeted employers that appeared to offer the best job security, rather than pursuing that dream job or a generous starting salary.

Findings reveal that of the Durham University finalists surveyed, for the 30% expected to join the graduate job market straight away, the most popular destinations are in teaching, media and marketing.

Evidently not all finalists are intending to plunge headfirst into the world of work as an almost equal proportion of students plan to delay the move into the ‘real world’, opting instead to study for a postgraduate course.

20% of Durham finalists surveyed are preparing to take time off and travel.

In spite of this year’s tough graduate job market, 96% of students at Durham University felt their time as a student had been beneficial. Furthermore, 50% of those asked said that they read Palatinate on a regular basis!