British graduates looking for a job abroad

Not surprisingly, graduates who are finding the UK job market tough at the moment are looking further afield for work. What is more surprising is the high proportion who have decided that another country could be their best option. More than a third of British graduates are considering a move abroad in a bid to beat the lack of jobs for graduates in the UK.

We surveyed over 1,000 recent graduates and final-year university students to find out what their intentions were post-degree. 21% of final-year university students said they were considering a Masters degree to complement their education, whilst 67% said they would try to secure employment before looking at further studies. The remainder said they were looking into all options, including taking a gap year. That is all fairly predictable.

However 34% of graduates said they were looking at jobs abroad, with the majority blaming the lack of opportunity for employment within the UK. Just 1 in 5 graduates had found employment in their chosen career. One of the students we spoke to said: “My preferred choice would be to secure a graduate role in the UK but if I can’t find what I am looking for then I will definitely be job hunting in Europe.”

Even if only a quarter of these students looking at jobs abroad left for greener pastures, the loss to the British job market would be felt for years to come. Some of our brightest and best talent could be lost for good which doesn’t bode well for the future.

Graduates are becoming more and more likely to stray and the reason is lack of success whilst job hunting. We see such talent on our site every day, I really think businesses are missing a trick if they don’t snap up some of these students quickly. We all want to help the UK economy pull out of the recession and one of the ways we can do that is to give opportunities to our students and graduates who are the workforce of tomorrow. They are talented and a vibrant asset to our business communities.

Businesses who take on students and graduates are able to benefit from some of the UK’s brightest and best young people, whilst at the same time improving their profitability at a time when every penny counts.