Two thirds of students and graduates said there is too much competition for jobs in the Milkround Student and Graduate Career Confidence Report 2015. The results of the recruitment specialist's annual survey of more than 5,600 students and graduates were revealed at a breakfast briefing last week (Friday, May 15th). 

The annual survey of Milkround candidates assesses their career confidence, highlighting the key issues relating to the graduate job hunt. Two thirds of the respondents were current students and one third were graduates.Over 40 clients, agencies and university career services attended the breakfast briefing including AIA, Accenture, Westminster University, UHY, among many others.

A presentation was delivered by Milkround staff, followed by roundtable insight sessions shedding light on different changes within the youth recruitment market.Key stats from Milkround’s 2015 Student and Graduate Career Confidence Report: 66 percent of students and graduates said that “too much competition” was their biggest concern about their job prospects. More than a quarter (25.8 percent) of students were “pessimistic” about their chances of getting a graduate job after university

Despite the above point, students’ “optimism” towards finding a job after university has risen for a second consecutive year. Compared to 2014, students and graduates are less concerned about there being “not enough jobs”, but have grown more concerned about “low pay” (+4.2 percent) and “employers expectations [being] too high” (+9.3 percent); 31.6 percent of graduates were still “looking for a job”; 61.2 percent of student and graduates felt that “work experience or an internship” would make them feel more confident about their career prospects.