You have 0 items in your cart
Employers are struggling to fill graduate vacancies, as students decline job offers, according to research from Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR).
AGR found that 52% of employers were unable to fill all of their graduate job vacancies last year, finding that 5.4% of the 13,156 graduate jobs posted by the survey’s respondents remained unfilled by the end of 2016.
The employers questioned said one in five offers were declined by students and on average 7.1% of offers made were reneged last year.
Accountancy, banking and engineering firms were revealed to have more issues with students declining job offers, however is was less of a problem in the public sector and among law, utility and IT businesses.
AGR Chief Executive, Stephen Isherwood said: “We are still seeing employers struggling to fill their graduate jobs every year. While the market for talent remains competitive, the trend towards students backing out of their agreements continues to make matters worse.”
Employers said they are tackling the issue by communicating more with their candidates (97%) and holding events for graduates between offer and join date (78%).
Isherwood added: “Employers are getting a handle on the situation by keeping regular contact with candidates and inviting them to meet with their peers. But students need to adopt a more responsible and respectful approach. Hold on and wait for your offers to come in and give employers notice if you plan to renege.”
