If you have a child hoping to graduate college soon, don’t be surprised if they feel their chances of finding gainful employment are poor. A survey of more than 16,000 students this year found that only 36% expected to find graduate-level employment as soon as they left college. That contrasts sharply with the last survey, carried out in 1997, when 49% expected to find jobs straight out of college.

The author of the survey, Martin Burchall, director of the annual UK Graduates Careers Survey, supports the gloomy outlook held by most students. ‘The reality is that - while the university population has grown by more than two-thirds during the past decade - the number of job vacancies for graduates has increased by barely 10 per cent in the same period.’

The survey revealed the most popular choice of careers for school leavers – with the police force and civil service showing significant rises in the number of graduates applying for jobs in those areas. Other fields that were popular included investment banking and the media.

There was an optimistic side to the survey; 3% of those polled felt that they would earn enough to be able to retire within ten years of starting work!

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