Graduate vacancies rise - but competition intensifies

The UK's top employers plan to recruit more graduates in 2012 - but an increase in the numbers coming out of university means competition for posts will intensify, according to a new report.

A study by High Fliers Research, which questioned 100 employers voted the best companies to work for, found that the overall number of graduate vacancies is expected to rise for a third year in a row and will climb by 6.4 per cent compared with 2011.

Half of respondents said that they intend to take on more university leavers than last year, while one in four will leave graduate recruitment levels unchanged.

However, employers also reported that applications have surged by 19 per cent from 2011's figure.

The report added that 50,000 more graduates will leave university this year compared with five years ago - and despite the three annual increases in vacancies, the number of available jobs remains six per cent lower than 2007.

It warned that as a result of the increasingly fierce competition for jobs, candidates need to back up their academic qualifications with practical work experience.

Martin Birchall, managing director of High Fliers Research, said, "New graduates who've not had any work experience at all during their time at university have little hope of landing a well-paid job with a leading employer, irrespective of the academic results they achieve or the university they've attended."

The study said that the average starting salary for a graduate at the top 100 firms would be £29,000 in 2012, which is unchanged since 2009.