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Information Technology Grads Finding Job Hunt Difficult in U.K. Too

Steven Rothberg AvatarSteven Rothberg
December 7, 2010


Stephen Riley of IntaPeople

It appears that the job market for graduates of information technology programs are finding it difficult to find employment in the United Kingdom just like similarly qualified candidates are finding it difficult to find work in the United States.

Comparing the first 11 months of 2010 to the same period last year, the specialist IT recruitment agency IntaPeople found that I.T. graduate vacancies in the UK have increased by almost 80 people. However, it believes that a large proportion of these roles are being handed to more experienced job seekers instead. Stephen Riley, director at IntaPeople, said that while “it is encouraging that I.T. graduate vacancies are on the up, we estimate that graduates are being overlooked for these opportunities around 30 percent of the time.” Riley continued, ““A difficult economy has seen skilled I.T. professionals applying for roles that would usually be considered too junior for them. Although many employers set out with the intention of taking on fresh talent, they often find it hard to resist these more experienced applicants – especially if they are available at a similar salary level.”

Research from the Higher Education Careers Services Unit (HECSU) recently showed that unemployment among I.T. graduates has grown from 13.7 to 16.3 percent over the course of the year. “The I.T. arena is as fast paced as ever, and the UK needs to be careful that it doesn’t fall behind the rest of Europe by neglecting a whole generation of workers,” Riley added. “Experience is always attractive, but upcoming talent will play an equally important role in supporting the country’s economic recovery. Firms therefore need to do whatever they can to see through their graduate recruitment plans and help aspiring IT professionals into work.”

IT recruitment agency IntaPeople found that 2010’s top I.T. graduate requirement has been for .NET developers, followed closely by I.T. support workers.

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