Graduates from construction-related degrees are finding it much harder to secure jobs, according to a new survey by the Higher Education Careers Service Unit (HECSU).
Among newly-graduated civil engineers, 11.9% were unable to find a job within six months. The figure was 10.9% for architects, 13.3% for electrical engineers, and 11.8% for mechanical engineers.
One in 10 – 21,000 students – across all subjects were still unemployed half a year after graduating, while 55,000 ended up in stop-gap jobs.
This is the highest rate since 1992 when graduate unemployment reached 11.6%. In 2008, at the peak of the recession, graduate unemployment levels rose by 2.4% to 7.9%.
The HECSU report says plans to cut public spending could have a “significant effect” and “disproportionately affect graduates in general and new graduates outside London in particular”.
The National Union of Students said: “These latest figures show that students are graduating into the bleakest employment market for decades.”
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