The New Graduate
24/08/2009
As phrases such as NEETs (Not in Employment Education or Training) are coined, and experts remain divided about the timescales for economic recovery, the number of students graduating university or college without a job is at an all time high, with recent government statistics suggesting that 1 in 6 aged between 18 and 24 are so called NEETS, and the UK's unemployment figures for this catchment are the highest in Europe.
This quarter, the Manpower Employment Outlook survey revealed that hiring intentions intend to slow in the third quarter of the year. Employer confidence remains at its weakest level for seventeen years. And yet 2009 is not the only year that has seen large scale redundancies and job cuts. Right Management is the market leader of outplacement services with 36% market share in the UK alone. In an average year, we work with around 50,000 individuals, all of whom have lost their jobs through redundancy, in the UK. Having developed an enviable reputation over the past three decades for our talent and career management expertise across all sectors and geographies, we feel it is critical to set out our ideas and thinking to support our clients, employees and associate partners who may be affected in some way by the issues facing graduates this summer.
Our research suggests that today’s graduate will have between 10 – 14 jobs by the time he/she is 38 years old. The volume of people we see transfer their skills from one sector to another, and from one profession to another is unprecedented. Social media and new technology is changing the ways in which organisations recruit, which in turn impacts the way in which individuals market their own skills, capabilities and experience. Shapes and sizes of jobs are changing, as are expectations and new definitions around careers are being formed. Our ongoing research programme suggests that networking has never been more critical in gaining that all important new opportunity and for the individuals we work with, has fast become the key route to market.
So how can graduates and college leavers find out more about these vital and so called 'soft skills' which are proving increasingly vital and carve out new opportunities? Right Management has put together a quick information pack for graduates. So if loved ones in your household are waking up this morning, slightly fuzzy from celebrating, or commiserating, A’ level results and are wondering what to do next, email GRADPACK to uk.info@right.com to receive a free information pack, with our compliments.
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