Graduate recruitment is rebounding from the depths of last year’s plunge that has pushed long-term unemployment among the UK’s youngest workers to a five-year high, signalling a welcome respite for those who have borne the brunt of pandemic job losses. Recent research by the Institute of Student Employers (ISE) found that more than a third of 135 of the UK’s biggest graduate recruiters are increasing their intake this year, while a further 48 per cent said they would be hiring the same number as last year. Just 16% said they were cutting graduate recruitment, down from the 44% who scaled back on recruitment in 2020.
Is the career ladder broken for new graduates? telegraph.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from telegraph.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Whether it’s favouritism that sees scions of the Trumps, Forbes and Hiltons all rise to positions of importance ahead of their time (and some might say ability), CEO-succession has a long history of seeing long-standing loyal talent lose out to family flesh and blood.
But while many grudgingly accept nepotism is commonplace at the very highest echelons, there’s long been the assumption that at least at the entry level, the playing field is flatter; with new talent at least picked on potential to shine rather than the social circle they inhabit.
All is not right here it seems. The standout statistic from Milkround’s 2020-ending Beyond the Buzzword research reveals a savage assessment by grads of the recruitment process – 81% believe nepotism is alive and well in the distribution of first job offers. By comparison, only 6% of HR decision-makers admitted nepotism is a factor.
Are we cherry-picking from the family tree when it comes to recruitment? hrmagazine.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from hrmagazine.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.