A new report on post-graduation employment prospects has shown that the levels of graduate jobs with top employers is at its highest in a decade, with university leavers set to earn even more.
The tenth Graduate Market study, published by High Fliers Research, has suggested that more positions may be available in sectors such as accounting, banking and the public sector.
The research also highlights that wages for young graduates are set to increase for the second year in a row.
The Graduate Market study which ranked graduate recruitment prospects, placed Edinburgh at 14th out of the 25 UK universities that were most targeted by employers, above other well-known universities such as Exeter, Newcastle, York and King’s College, London.
Another new study has also shown that the University of Edinburgh is successfully riding this trend of rising graduate prospects, featuring amongst the most employable and financially rewarded graduates across the UK.
The Emolument Alumni report on the top ten university graduate salaries for 2015 suggests that Edinburgh graduates on average will be the 8th best earners amongst university graduates nationwide.
Edinburgh students can expect to earn an average of £48,500 within five years, just below Sheffield and the London School of Economics at £49,000 and £50,000 respectively, and above Imperial College London, at £47,000 and Birmingham, at £46,500.
To gauge the general reaction to the studies, The Student reached out for comment from some Edinburgh students:
Robbie, a first year History student, said that “while the figures are impressive, I don’t feel like they would apply to me until I actually apply myself. I’ve not even thought much further beyond current deadlines – these results make me feel like I should study more!”
James, a second year Engineering student, added that “I think that these figures look nice, but I think the employment ranking and average salaries are probably biased because of the high number of scientists, medics and engineers that these universities produce.
“If this list was made only from humanities and art students, I think the average would in general be a lot lower.”
Universities Minister Greg Clark said: “Confidence in the economy continues to grow, and this is reflected in the fact that Britain’s top companies will recruit more graduates this year than they have for a decade.
“This report will be warmly welcomed by the record number of students who started university this year and highlights how a degree remains one of the best routes into a rewarding career.”
The general trend of increased graduate employment and positive results for Edinburgh students has come in conjunction with its strong performance in the QS World University Rankings, which ranked Edinburgh as the 17th best globally.
