One in five employed graduates in the UK starts work in London

More than a fifth of graduates who find work in the UK start their careers in London, researchers say.

While there are jobs to be had around the UK, they aren't spread out evenly, a study based on official figures shows.

In 2010-11, 21% of graduates employed in the UK were working in London six months after leaving university, while 3.8% were working in the North East.

Around 11% had jobs in the North West, 7.5% in Yorkshire and the Humber, 6.1% in the East Midlands, 7.7% in the West Midlands, 7.2% in the East of England, 12.5% in the South East and 7.5% in the South West.

The study shows that 4.7% were working in Wales, 7.8% in Scotland and 3% in Northern Ireland.

Of those who started out in London, many were working in Westminster and the City, landing jobs in business and finance.

Westminster, and Camden in north London, were the most popular areas in London for graduates to find work in marketing or sales.

Hertfordshire, Surrey, Oxfordshire and Manchester were leading places for jobs in marketing and advertising.

Graduates were more likely to find science-based jobs in Oxfordshire or Cambridgeshire, while Aberdeen was the most common starting place for students going into engineering.

Warwickshire, Surrey and Derby were popular places of employment for engineering.

The study, by the Higher Education Careers Service unit (Hecsu), says health, education and social care jobs were found across the country, and that arts-based work was common in London, Merseyside, Hertfordshire, Surrey, Manchester, Kent, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The study says that overall, there was a slight increase in the graduate unemployment rate, standing at 8.6% in 2012, compared to 8.5% last year.

The employment rate stayed "relatively stable" at 61.8% compared to 62.2% last year, suggesting that new graduates have been doing better than expected despite a weak economy and spending cuts.

Hecsu spokesman Charlie Ball says: "Many of the jobs created during the recession have been with smaller firms. When looking for vacancies, graduates should not just focus on large organisations but widen their search, taking advantage of local information, careers services and informal contacts."

Source: 11^th October 2012, The Guardian – Education, Students

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/oct/11/fifth-of-graduates-start-work-in-london