Call to increase graduate numbers

Strongest graduate jobs market since 2007 masks shortages in certain occupations, says report.

Nursing, engineering, construction, teaching, IT and business services struggled to find enough graduates to recruit in 2015, according to a report from Prospects.

The report, which draws on data from the destinations of leavers from higher education survey, warns that occupation shortages are likely to continue since the UK is entering a prolonged period in which the number of 18-year-olds will fall year on year. The number of first degrees awarded to UK domiciled graduates in 2014-15 was down 25,900 on the previous year, and the number of those in work also fell by 10,600. According to Charlie Ball, head of higher education intelligence at Prospects, unless government introduces policies to increase university participation, business and the economy will have to “accustom itself to the idea that the pool of available graduates may not continue to grow in the way we are used to over the next few years”.