Fewer jobs available for school leavers and graduates

10:36 27th May 2009

More school leavers and graduates may choose to seek additional computer training and other skills as figures show the number of jobs is falling.

According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and professional services firm KPMG, almost 50 per cent of businesses in the UK have decided not to recruit graduates or school leavers in response to the financial pressures of the recession.

Further, practical and financial support organisation the Prince's Trust has found that young people from less privileged backgrounds are particularly struggling.

Paul Brown, director of marketing and communications at the Prince's Trust, said: "We would encourage young people to look across the range of jobs and training opportunities available and to take every opportunity to demonstrate their motivation and their eagerness to enter the market."

He added that persistence and resilience are the key factors to finding unemployment in the current climate.

There was a 50 per cent rise in the number of calls to the Prince's Trust helpline at the start of this year, according to the organisation and the Economic and Social Research Council Centre for Giving and Philanthropy.