Despite more graduate jobs, finalists less confident about prospects

New research undertaken by TARGETjobs has revealed that final-year university students are feeling less confident about their employment prospects as the academic year wears on.

The latest survey, conducted in April, shows how confidence levels have fallen significantly over the past couple of months, with only half (49.7%) of the c.1,500 students surveyed claiming to feel confident about finding a graduate job, compared to 59.1% in February.

And the biggest factor contributing to this increased pessimism is the perceived shortage of available graduate jobs, with lack of work experience an additional concern.

Interestingly, male finalists continue to be significantly more confident (62.2%) about their prospects of landing a graduate job than their female counterparts (42.9%).

But despite the survey results, GTI Media's UK publishing director Chris Phillips suggests that the outlook remains bright for this year's graduates.  "Students should feel positive about their job prospects post-recession," he says.  "Overall the number of graduate positions has increased, and many employers are still accepting applications, which is a marked improvement from last year's graduate job market."