2010 shaping up as a better year for graduates

Graduates seeking employment can expect more opportunities in 2010, according to recently released findings from the 2009 Graduate Outlook Survey.

The research, conducted by Graduate Careers Australia (GCA), revealed that around 21% of surveyed employers intend to increase the scale of their graduate recruitment program in 2010.

This comes after a difficult period for graduate jobseekers. The research also revealed that 29% of surveyed employers indicated that they decreased the scale of their graduate recruitment program in 2009 as a direct result of the GFC. A further five per cent of surveyed employers indicated that they cancelled their graduate program altogether.

GCA acting executive director, Bruce Guthrie, said that this suggests that the graduate employment market is recovering from the downturn brought about by the GFC.

"It is encouraging to see that graduate recruitment in Australia is on the way to returning to pre-crisis levels", Guthrie said. "An investment in graduate employees is also an investment in the future of the recruiter, so this is good news for the Australian economy as a whole."

The Graduate Outlook Survey also examined what employers look for in their graduate employees. Employers generally considered interpersonal and communication skills above all else when evaluating potential employees, although their industry knowledge, drive and commitment, and attitude were also very important.

Lack of drive, motivation, enthusiasm and initiative were generally considered by employers to be the least desirable characteristics in a graduate candidate. Employers also did not want to see candidates with a poor attitude, lack of work ethic and a generally poor approach to their work.

The Graduate Outlook Survey, now in its fifth year, is an annual investigation into the state of the graduate labour market in Australasia. More than 400 graduate employers completed the 2009 survey.

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