The Impact of COVID-19 on student and graduate opportunities
As a student or graduate, you will no doubt be considering the impact the global pandemic is having upon graduate opportunities and placements. Therefore, to keep you informed, we have created this page which will feature regular updates on the student and graduate recruitment market during these unprecedented times, as well as advice on what steps you can take.
Please keep checking back; this page will be updated regularly with the latest information available to us.
It has been announced that due to the coronavirus lockdown measures, the UK is now in a recession (classified as a period of temporary economic decline during which trade and industrial activity are reduced) however there is early evidence that recovery is underway. For the UK job market retail, hospitality, manufacturing and construction are among the industries with the largest number of employees on furlough and are those which could take the longest to recover. The latest vacancy analysis by The Institute of Employment Studies which examines the month to 9th August and have concluded that the overall level of vacancies has increased by almost 40% compared to July. In the first week of July vacancy levels were 65% lower than for the equivalent week last year, whereas on the first week of August vacancy levels were 44% lower. This analysis indicates that although still lower than previous year, job vacancies are increasing. Those jobs within areas such as healthcare, social work and teaching have held up over the last four months. The arts may be the worse-affected sector within the UK, which has an effect on the opportunities for graduates within this area at the current time. Other areas such as retail, hospitality, travel and accommodation employers have also been significantly affected. However, many key graduate employment sectors have been less effected, such as IT, healthcare, social care and finance. Businesses are now considering their future skills needs and many are looking towards temporary staff as they recover from the pandemic. Temporary work can not only benefit employers, but workers too – proving an opportunity to get into work quickly with the potential of roles becoming permanent. The Recruitment & Employment Confederation state that 68% of workers who have done temporary work in the past are now in a permanent role. It is still too early to be sure of the effects of the pandemic and for graduates it will be a competitive job market throughout 2020 and beyond, however for many graduate employers they are continuing their recruitment as planned. Many businesses believe it will not take them long to resume operations and they are clear that there is still demand for graduate level talent and a need for higher level skills. As the bespoke Careers Service for the University of Lincoln, we promote student and graduate opportunities via our CareerLinc platform. The number of job adverts advertised throughout August 2020 dropped by 13% compared to August 2019. For August 2020 vacancies the highest proportion were Graduate opportunities, schemes or internships. Current graduate schemes being advertised include EY, BAE Systems, Goldman Sachs International and Deloitte. Larger organisations continue to represent the highest number of opportunities listed. Some smaller businesses are now starting to advertise positions which could be indicative of companies starting to adapt to the current situation. The sectors and roles mirror the national picture, with a high percentage of listings come under the category of IT and Technology, Finance, Law, Marketing and Teaching. The most significant difference from last year is the fall in the number of hospitality and retails roles, most likely resulting from the inability for businesses to operate during the pandemic or having to reduce staffing. The job market will change as we move beyond the current ‘lockdown’. As graduates you are more adaptable than you may think. It is important that you remember just what you have to offer businesses in these challenging times. As a generation of graduates who have had to adapt to new ways of learning and assessment during your degree, you will have developed a wealth of technical and soft skills that will be valuable to the workforce of the future. So consider: Right now, many recruiters are still hiring graduates across a far broader range of industries. UK employers do not recruit by degree discipline: the ISE annual student recruitment survey 2019 showed that 86% of employers do not focus on the course a student studied. If you already have a graduate or placement offer, it is important that you remain in contact with your employer to understand any implications of the current situation. The University of Lincoln partners with companies to offer graduate internships. These can be sourced by you directly and if you want to work for a particular company, virtually or remotely at this time, you may be eligible for a funded internship. For further details, visit the Internships advice section of our website. New opportunities to meet and engage with businesses through virtual Careers fairs, online events and virtual internships could provide opportunities to engage with companies in a different way. A new initiative partnered with the University of Lincoln is #ISOLATIONINTERN, a new site dedicated to providing paid remote internship opportunities to students and graduates. The Careers Service is continuing to source and advertise part time roles, placement opportunities and graduate positions, all advertised on CareerLinc. Therefore keep checking for live job adverts, update your contact details and set up email job alerts. For those employers who are continuing with recruitment many are changing their recruitment methods online. These include application screening, telephone interviews, online assessment centres. The Careers team can support with all aspects of application via our remote services. Consider continuing to build your skills throughout this time with our top tips on how to Boost Your Employability from Home. We know that the current climate may be causing you some concerns with regards to your career, and it may be that you need to review your plans - you can still gain support via our services, all of which are available remotely, via the button below; we are here to help you. 4th September Update
Graduate Job Market and Placements
Our Own CareerLinc Vacancy Analysis
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