Employers Are ‘Fighting It Out’ For Graduate Talent
With talent hard to come by, and more and more graduates wishing to embark on the career of their dreams as opposed to ‘any old’ job, employers must be prepared to ‘fight it out’ according to new research. One way they can do this is by making themselves appealing to potential employees, through offering top work place incentives, attractive salaries and exciting opportunities.
Reports state it’s the improvement in the graduate jobs market that has caused these changes. The UK’s employers are therefore having to battle each other in order to secure top candidates.
Research undertaken by the High Fliers market research company revealed an astounding 1,000 graduates refused job offers at the last moment in 2015, leaving employers frantically searching for replacements.
Overall, 20,000 students were employed at the beginning of their final year at University. Having so much time to play around with means that students were able to opt out of their first career choice ‘if and when’ something better came along.
A Battle For Those At The Top
High Fliers managing director, Martin Birchall, said that employers at the top end of the market are “fighting it out over the same few candidates”.
He revealed that some employers were saying that graduates were getting five or six offers of employment – leaving them to pick the one they prefer.
Birchall added that “Britain’s top employers are recruiting their biggest-ever intake of new graduates in 2016”. However he also warned that the nation’s “brightest graduates are becoming increasingly choosy about the employers they join”.
It appears graduates are looking for roles that offer both great opportunities and good salaries – most graduates expect to start on a minimum wage of £30,000. Research indicates that the highest salaries in 2016 will fall at £47,000 however.
These will be available to graduates choosing investment bank roles. On top of this, a number of big name firms will be offering paid work placements, with one third of vacancies advertised most likely to be filled by those who have already worked for a company.
If you’re an employer looking to attract graduate talent, visit Discover Graduates today.
