More Graduates Taking Low-Skill Jobs - Report

[interestrateripoff]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-13361769

University leavers are increasingly taking non-graduate jobs, according to research.

Six months after leaving university, about 40% of last year's graduates were "underemployed" in lower-skilled jobs, up from about 30% four years before.

The research, published by the Association of Accounting Technicians, says new graduates have been among the worst hit by the economic downturn.

A degree remains a "good investment", says a government spokesman.

The research, carried out by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, forecasts a worsening jobs market for graduates who will leave this summer.

I wonder how many remain in low skilled jobs for life. Still at least soon these people will have around £40k of debt to pay off with low skilled wages. Win win isn't it...

[pl1]

Even jobs which are so-called graduate jobs are pretty dire. Working in sales for instance or recruitment. Why do you need a degree to do those? I think many graduates mistakenly view them as stop-gaps and then end up staying through fault or design. If I were to go to University today I would do as bread and butter a degree as possible, medicine or law and make sure it was from a top-flight University; so you'd need to buckle down from about 14 and gear everything to passing the exams with top-flight marks.

Edited May 12, 2011 by pl1

[Georgia O'Keeffe]

Many of them will never earn enough to start having to pay the loan off, never have enough to buy a house or save for a pension. Better off going on benefits and getting some money cash in hand or they could learn a language and emigrate.

Hello fiscal drag my good friend

[Georgia O'Keeffe]

Even jobs which are so-called graduate jobs are pretty dire. Working in sales for instance or recruitment. Why do you need a degree to do those? I think many graduates mistakenly view them as stop-gaps and then end up staying through fault or design. If I were to go to University today I would do as bread and butter a degree as possible, medicine or law and make sure it was from a top-flight University; so you'd need to buckle down from about 14 and gear everything to passing the exams with top-flight marks.

Wouldnt it be easier just to change your name to Tarquin STJohn Smythe

The 3rd

[winkie]

Many of them will never earn enough to start having to pay the loan off, never have enough to buy a house or save for a pension. Better off going on benefits and getting some money cash in hand or they could learn a language and emigrate.

...sadly, I think you are right......what is needed is greater job creation, only people can create jobs and they will only create them if they can source people with the correct skills and it is in their interest to do so..... a new in-house industrial revolution is required to cater our future living requirements.

[pl1]

Wouldnt it be easier just to change your name to Tarquin STJohn Smythe

The 3rd

Or your parents could setup a college fund from when you're born, like they do in America. In fact this will increasingly be the model. Shame about this young generation though where it's probably all locked away in the house.

[Bloo Loo]

you need a degree to run a sandwich board these days.

[ken_ichikawa]

Wouldnt it be easier just to change your name to Tarquin STJohn Smythe

The 3rd

There is a lot of truth in that tbh as if you are percieved as upper class, then few people are willing to question the reality.

[ken_ichikawa]

The thing is though these graduates can escape the country with a bit of effort, many many places require a degree to merely get working visas.

If they do this for long enough as with Richard, eventually a lot of them will simply leave to other places instead. Meaning UK bonds which future slavery is dependent upon will collaspe. People will say go then if you hate it here. When they really do go those very same people will prevent them from leaving (Berlin Wall, Great wall of China, North Korean sealed borders, USSR internal passports)

[SarahBell]

"about 40% of last year's graduates were "underemployed" in lower-skilled jobs, up from about 30% four years before"

So it's not actually got that much worse.

[Lazybones]

Even jobs which are so-called graduate jobs are pretty dire. Working in sales for instance or recruitment. Why do you need a degree to do those? I think many graduates mistakenly view them as stop-gaps and then end up staying through fault or design. If I were to go to University today I would do as bread and butter a degree as possible, medicine or law and make sure it was from a top-flight University; so you'd need to buckle down from about 14 and gear everything to passing the exams with top-flight marks.

Fully agree. But there is still a risk, I was talking to a business owner the other day 500 people plus high tech engineering company and he is getting law graduates applying for admin jobs.

Problem is too many graduates and/or not enough graduate jobs, the system was designed for the top 10% (academics) to go to unversity not 50%+

[ccc]

Is working in an Office lower skilled than working in a supermarket or in a field ?

I am not so sure.

[the gardener]

Is working in an Office lower skilled than working in a supermarket or in a field ?

I am not so sure.

I don't know but it's almost certainly less interesting.

[Rare Bear]

Hello fiscal drag my good friend

My thought too.

[Rare Bear]

Fully agree. But there is still a risk, I was talking to a business owner the other day 500 people plus high tech engineering company and he is getting law graduates applying for admin jobs.

Problem is too many graduates and/or not enough graduate jobs, the system was designed for the top 10% (academics) to go to unversity not 50%+

Not so much that the system was designed for the top 10% or so to go to university as a case of the system needed a certain number of graduates which was about 10%. When 50% or so of the population started to go to uni there was still a need for only 10% of the population to have degrees hence 40% cannot end up with the sort of job which traditionally would have required a degree.

You'll probably find the ones who have ended up with the sort of jobs they expected to get by getting a degree are the ones who would have got the degree and the job when only 10% of the population went to university. What has happened is that the selection has taken place after university rather than beforehand and that lots of people have degrees which are worth nothing and a load of debt.

Still, we have a knowledge economy with 50% going to uni.

[Rare Bear]

Is working in an Office lower skilled than working in a supermarket or in a field ?

I am not so sure.

A hod carrier will be more able to do mental arithmetic than most office workers these days. I am not joking.

[mark1]

Problem is too many graduates and/or not enough graduate jobs, the system was designed for the top richest 9% and 1% proles to go to unversity not 50%+

Most go to Polytechnics called universities, its just these former polytechnics teach too much social science garbage.

I am aware of jobs which need 4 weeks training and are paying a minimum of 360GBP a day for a 12 hour day, working as many days as you wish, ive been turning down 2 jobs a week offering at least this amount.

Maybe these graduates havent got a clue about thinking outside the box about how to get a job and need to mix with their own in call centres.

[Glabkrar]

me and the girlfriend both graduated last year with a 2.2 chemistry degree (met on the course), ive had years of work experience in civil service and private sector albeit only admin/data input, so ive managed to find a graduate placement in an big analytical lab on 15k (which i was on before uni)

the girlfiend has done school, collage uni. now has to get used to a completely different lifestyle. has managed only to find part time with pro rata 13k. had to get accross that a great part of interviews are ....how well you will fit into the office politics...need to be confident, friendly and be able to listen while communicating.

that confidence is hard to gain when youve had a life of 'yes sir' to a teacher, respect of the lecturer....now, my potential boss..........'these are experts and i have to impress them'

wheras jobs that dont require a degree ..' i can get that'

[Flybait]

I wonder what the statistic would be if they took out all the rubbish degrees and half baked “universities”. That would be a more genuine reflection of economic conditions. For example, how many Russell Group graduates are out of work? When the cream of the crop are finding it harder to get graduate work then the economy is really in trouble. Fat, bloated numbers from the increase in University numbers overall isn’t indicative of much at all.

[winkie]

I wonder what the statistic would be if they took out all the rubbish degrees and half baked “universities”. That would be a more genuine reflection of economic conditions. For example, how many Russell Group graduates are out of work? When the cream of the crop are finding it harder to get graduate work then the economy is really in trouble. Fat, bloated numbers from the increase in University numbers overall isn’t indicative of much at all.

.....It is irrelevant the numbers that go to university...the jobs are just not there.... say for example; half of the total that go to university today left school with good O or A levels and went straight out into the workplace, they would only be doing the same jobs they would've been doing three years earlier but would have gained three years work experience, have had had less debt and most probably had pay rises......

[spyguy]

Not sure if its as simple as: ex-polys: unemployed; russell=employed.

Remember, the russell groups generates quite a few arts + humanities degrees.

In my experience an arts+ hum from a 'good' university is just as likely to be underemployed/unemployed as an arts+hum from a poly.

There have been a number of comments expanding on the 'graduates earn xx more' remark being the down to the expansion of middle management, where the recruit was from graduates. You can can only make a comparision with a graduate who has retired i.e. one who started work ~ 40 years ago/1960s.

In reality, since the early 90s recession, compnaies have got much, much smaller and their organisation has become much flatter, reducing theneeds for mid-man.

Te company I worked in 1992 for gutted the mid-man layer by 50%.

They were never replaced.

For another exmaple, look at the fall-off in off in the milk-round. Compnaies want people with specific skills now.

[Flybait]

.....It is irrelevant the numbers that go to university...the jobs are just not there....

Actually, in the context of this article it’s very relevant. If there were fewer graduates looking for work then the “statistics” being thrown in the article would have far less (emotional) weight since it would be a smaller percentage. It wouldn’t affect the total number of people seeking work though, which I believe is your point.

[dothemaths]

you'd need to buckle down from about 14 and gear everything to passing the exams with top-flight marks.

That is the key point. It starts well before you get to university - too many lazy people in this country (I see it among my younger relatives) thinking just getting a degree is enough. Work hard at school, get a good degree in a 'hard' subject from a good university and the world's your oyster. I don't know anyone who has done that who is working in a low-skilled job today.

[mfp123]

the report is absolutely pointless. its simply a case that there are more graduates than ever.

a degree is just a qualification, it doesnt guarantee a new job will be created for them.

if everyone got a degree, the number of jobs would be the same. at the end of the day its the same people chasing the same jobs, but its just that more of them are graduates now.

nothing has changed.

[winkie]

Actually, in the context of this article it’s very relevant. If there were fewer graduates looking for work then the “statistics” being thrown in the article would have far less (emotional) weight since it would be a smaller percentage. It wouldn’t affect the total number of people seeking work though, which I believe is your point.

The report is absolutely pointless. its simply a case that there are more graduates than ever.

a degree is just a qualification, it doesnt guarantee a new job will be created for them.

if everyone got a degree, the number of jobs would be the same. at the end of the day its the same people chasing the same jobs, but its just that more of them are graduates now.

nothing has changed.

Thank you, answered for you in a more concise way than I.