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Of the 400,000 graduates in the United Kingdom in 1998, more than 200,000 had first degrees and the others had undergraduate or postgraduate qualifications. More than one in three graduates had already undertaken paid work while still in school (primarily in the service sector). The demand for graduates among the traditional recruiters and reports of recruitment difficulties have increased steadily over the past few years. Although starting salaries offered by recruiters have grown fast, in the longer term they have simply tracked changes in average earnings in the work force. Vacancies among the major recruiters were largely bounding back from the low point of the last recession and were not much higher than in the late 1980s. Many graduates are taking more than 1 year (and sometimes up to 3 years) to find their way into permanent jobs and careers. Those graduating in medicine and related subjects, education, computer science, engineering, and mathematics have moved into high-level jobs the fastest and have enjoyed the lowest unemployment rates. The numbers of graduates are expected to be broadly stable for the next 3 years. Forty-one tables/figures are included. The addresses of 14 data sources are provided. (Contain 53 references.) (MN)

Retention of college graduates by employers across the United Kingdom was examined. Data were collected through a survey of 362 organizations and interviews with 36 employers and their graduate employees. Most employers were unworried by their levels of graduate retention; two-thirds expected to keep new recruits for the foreseeable future. Rates of retention of graduates averaged 86% after 3 years. Although one-third of the employers surveyed had managed to retain their entire graduate intake 1 year after appointment, approximately one-fourth of employers lost up to 50% of their intake within 1 year. Small employers had the highest average retention rate. Retention rates were lowest among employers recruiting to general roles rather than to those reserved for graduates or those involving formal and/or professional training. Employers offering higher starting salaries had the best retention rates. The overall market appeared stable, and starting salaries were predicted to grow slowly over the upcoming year. More than 40% of employers lacked any form of monitoring system that might provide insights into why graduates leave. The most popular techniques used for retaining graduates were offering technical professional training, offering mentoring/coaching, and providing planned career and/or salary progression. (Seventeen tables/figures are included. The bibliography lists 16 references. Nine additional benchmarking tables are appended.) (MN)