A new study by the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) says the graduate job market is growing-as are salaries.
The latest study by the AGR has revealed the future is bright for university leavers, with the number of graduate vacancies increasing by 13.2% compared to 2014. The AGR Annual Survey also found the average salary for university leavers has risen by £1000 to £26,000 a year.
Chief Executive of the AGR, Stephen Isherwood, believes the findings are welcome news for both graduates and employers.
"Employers are doing more to invest in graduates with a continued increase in vacancies and rise in salaries," he says. "This investment is paying off. Despite the perception that all graduates are job-hoppers, graduates stay with our employer members for an average of five years. What's more, only 6% leave in their first year on the job and just 11% leave before the end of two years."
The results of the Annual Survey isn't all good news for graduates-findings indicate a lack of gender equality in the workplace, despite 62.8% of firms currently having programmes in place to improve gender balance in their organisations.
The survey shows that only 41.6% of the graduates hired in 2015 were female, despite women making up 58.7% of graduates leaving university.
Stephen Isherwood says this imbalance is an ongoing problem which needs to be addressed.
"Gender diversity is an issue which requires more of our attention. Although our data cannot explain why women aren't securing more graduate placements, it indicates there is more to be done to attract female graduates who in turn need to make the most of the opportunities available."