Will graduates look to set up a new business?

Date: 2nd September 2011

Setting up a business could become a more attractive option for UK graduates given the difficulty of finding a full-time job after university.

According to recently-published research, graduates in the country are being forced to wait up to three-and-a-half years for full-time employment.

Indeed, a Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) study of students graduating in 2007 found that by 2010, 28 per cent of the 49,065 respondents were working part-time.

The study also showed that 3.5 per cent listed their status as "other", with the HESA saying this number were unemployed.

Sally Hunt, general secretary of the University and College Union, commented: "While it is encouraging that the majority of the class of 2007 recognise the value and worth of their degree, it is worrying that the number of unemployed graduates has risen.

"The jobs market is now even tougher and new students entering a system with the highest public university fees in the world deserve better prospects. The countries investing in graduates and high skills are the ones who will prosper in the long run."

Posted by Thomas Fletcher