Graduate Employment Statistics - Jobs Market Report Q2, 2019

Quarter 2 of 2019 saw us receive over 30,000 applications, across 20+ different sectors.

As a result, we have again been able to compile a significant amount of data on the graduate jobs market.

The following report contains information on graduate starting salaries, gender representation, and the most in-demand roles for businesses, as well as information on what makes a competitive benefits package, and what candidates are really looking for in their first, second or third graduate role.

As we enter graduation season, here’s a look back at what was new in Q2.

Download the full report here:

2019 statistics

Key graduate employment findings for Q2 2019

1. Graduate starting salaries on the rise

In terms of starting salary, we saw the average across all sectors marginally decrease from Q1’s £25,298, with the average salary now £24,650.

However, what has become apparent is that the difference between the highest and lowest starting salary in individual sectors is becoming increasingly less.

Our lowest permanent salary in Q2 was £22,000 which, with London Living Wage (LLW) now paying just over £20,000, is becoming a near hard base line for us to work from.

The most popular bracket is £24,000 – £26,000 for a permanent role.

We’ve seen that companies who offered a salary range ending up paying closer to the top end – a clear indication of the competitiveness of the market.

2. Top sales candidates in demand

As is now often the case, there was a consistent demand for great sales candidates in Q2.

Across the board, from FinTech to PR, companies engaged with us to find ambitious, driven graduates who would thrive in client-focused, target-driven roles.

It’s interesting to note that we’ve seen a 16% increase in the number of applications for Sales & Client Services based roles in Q2; even more so for those with a competitive commission structure in place.

3. Graduates are looking for more than salary

In order to stay competitive, companies across the board continued to build upon their benefits packages and additional perks in Q2; offering everything from pool tables and beer fridges, to flexible working policies and travel cards.

We already know that these have appeal for graduates; but our communications with over 20,000 candidates in Q2 has given us great insight into what graduates actually look for in a role; and it’s different to what you might think.

Increasingly it seems that for graduates, fun work perks are ‘nice-to-haves’, but are not the main attraction of a role or company.

In fact, graduates tend to be far more interested in opportunities for training and development and being able to see clear career progression.

Find out more information on how to attract the best graduates to your business.

Industry breakdown: graduate employment statistics

The following Graduate Employment Statistics Market Report includes all data from our placements in Q2; from a range of sectors and industries including; FinTech, MedTech, EdTech, Finance, FMCG, Legal, Digital, IT and quite a few more.

In the report, you’ll find a sector-by-sector breakdown of gender representation, the most common roles, and salary information.

This will help you to benchmark what you should be paying your graduate hires, and gain insight into how similar companies in your industry are hiring at the moment.

If you would like any further graduate market analysis for Q2, or any advice on graduate recruitment, please get in touch.

For visual infographics of this information, download our graduate employment statistics report.

The following data has been compiled from Give A Grad A Go placements from Q2 2019:

Banking & Finance industry statistics

The banking and finance sector is vital to the global economy, comprising a range of different services – from investment, insurance and loans, to commercial banking and accounting.

Most businesses in the banking and finance sector are large, established organisations, that provide structured, and highly competitive, graduate schemes and graduate jobs.

Roles can include broking, trading, accountancy, administration and trend forecasting.

Read on for an overview of data collated from our graduate employment statistics for the Banking & Finance industry:

The 3 most common job roles in Banking and Finance

Sales and Business Development
Analyst
Business Support/ Management

Average starting salary for graduates working in Banking and Finance

£26,100 annual starting salary

Gender representation in Banking and Finance industries

47% female graduates
53% male graduates

FinTech (Financial Technology) industry statistics

FinTech is an emerging sector that has disrupted and revolutionised traditional financial services.

FinTech includes everything from banking apps and insurance technology, to stock trading websites, cryptocurrency, and cyber security, and includes a lot of fast-growing, innovative startups with big investment behind them.

Find out top reasons why your FinTech company should hire graduates.

Job roles in FinTech include account management, solutions, product management, engineering and development.

Here are the 2019 Q2 graduate employment statistics for the FinTech industry:

The 3 most common job roles in the FinTech industry

Account Executive / Client Services
Sales/ Business Development
Digital Marketing

Average starting salary in the FinTech sector

£27,400

Graduate gender representation in FinTech

70% female graduates
30% male graduates

Internet & Digital Media industry statistics

The Internet and Digital Media industry includes some of the world’s biggest media firms, digital agencies and other fast-growing, innovative digital & media startups.

The type of opportunities and roles we work on include; Project Manager, Account Executive, Digital Marketing, Data Analysts, Business Analysts, Client Services, Sales, Campaign Managers, Media Traders and many more.

Our 2019 graduate employment statistics will give you further insight:

The 3 most common job roles in the Internet and Digital Media industries

Business Support/ Management
Project Manager
Analyst

Average starting salary in Internet and Digital Media

£24,900

Graduate gender representation in the Internet and Digital Media industry

58% female graduates
42% male graduates

IT, Software & Technology industry statistics

Technology is one of the fastest-growing and highest-valued industries globally, with the UK sitting at the very forefront of innovation.

Employers within this sector focus on areas such as web, software and app development.

Some roles involve creating, developing, supporting, and solving problems relating to, technological innovations, while others are vital to the distribution of technological goods and services – these can include sales, marketing, client services and account management. Read on for our graduate employment statistics for Q2 2019:

The 3 most common job roles in the IT, Software & Technology industries

Analyst
Developer
Business Support/ Management

Average starting salary for graduates working in IT & Technology

£25,657 graduate annual starting salary

Gender representation in the tech industry

49% female graduates
61% male graduates

Marketing & Advertising industry statistics

We interact with marketing and advertising on a daily basis, and the Marketing & Advertising industry continues to be one of the most popular for graduates.

Job roles in marketing and advertising are usually either in-house at an organisation, or at an agency – and can focus on content, social media, digital marketing, account management and analytics.

Here’s our graduate employment statistics for the Marketing & Advertising industry:

The 3 most common job roles in the Marketing & Advertising industies

Project Manager
Account Executive
Digital Marketing

Average starting salary for graduates working in Marketing & Advertising

£22,857 graduate annual starting salary

Gender representation in the Marketing & Advertising industry

50% female graduates
50% male graduates

PR & Communications industry statistics

The PR and communications sector is crucial to helping businesses create and sustain a positive public image of themselves.

Here’s our PR & Communications graduate employment statistics for 2019 – Q2:

The 3 most common job roles in the PR & Communications industries

Account Executive
Business Support / Management
Designer

Average starting salary for graduates working in PR & Communications

£24,400 graduate annual starting salary

Gender representation in PR & Communications

90% female graduates
10% male graduates

For further insights, take a look at our recruitment trends archive – there are statistics dating back to 2015!

Recruitment trends

Looking to recruit graduates? If your business is in need of a specialised, cost-effective and efficient graduate recruitment solution, look no further than Give A Grad A Go.

For 10 years, Give A Grad A Go have been at the heart of the graduate recruitment sector; helping more than 500 businesses scale up efficiently and cost-effectively, and enabling them to hire exceptional junior talent.

Want to find out more? Call us on 020 7100 8800 or get in touch using the form below.

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Graduate employment statistics Q2 2019 📈