Graduates struggle to succeed in ‘crowded’ job market
Employer demand for graduates is not as high as many young people have been led to believe, according to a new study from the Economic and Social Research Council.
The study claims that the prospect of a good salary and an interesting job in a big organisation is ‘available only to the lucky few’.
The findings of the research may cast doubt on the Government’s drive to ensure that 50% of young people attend university by 2010. And the research suggests that graduate salaries may not offer enough of a compensation for undergraduate debt.
Professor Phil Brown, who led the research, explained: “The evolving system of mass higher education in the UK has intensified the mismatch between the skills needed to get a job and those required to do it well.”
“Given a chance, many graduates may prove excellent when it comes to doing the job itself, but fail to find employment because of the over-supply of suitably qualified candidates.”
And those young people that the Government’s strategy is designed to help – pupils from less affluent backgrounds – are less likely than most to reap the rewards of their hard work at university.
Professor Brown said: “As the recruitment process is designed to bring out the ‘personal’ qualities of individuals, the social, cultural and economic backgrounds of candidates have been increasingly exposed. It is very difficult for those from disadvantaged backgrounds to demonstrate the ‘personal’ capital required to gain elite employment.”
The study points out that a large proportion of working-class students attend new universities, and that top employers were statistically more likely to take on Oxbridge graduates.
More than 50 well-qualified graduates typically apply for each ‘fast-track’ appointment, according to the study, leading Professor Brown to argue that big employers should take on a range of graduates and reward them on performance in the workplace, rather than selecting specific candidates at the interview stage for accelerated promotion.
