Surge in number of jobless graduates

Nationally the number of people unemployed surged by 24,000 during the last quarter. The jobless rate in the region is almost one in ten people of working age – at 9.6 per cent a slight increase on three months earlier. The region's employment rate was also below the national average of 70 per cent.

The number of economically inactive people in the country reached a record high.

The latest gloomy jobs figures were released as a new report warned that the number of Yorkshire graduates finding work within three months of leaving university had dropped sharply in both 2008 and 2009.

The research, commissioned by Yorkshire Universities, a body representing 14 higher education providers, claims that failure to harness the skills of new graduates could undermine the economic recovery. It also warns more needs to be done to equip students for the jobs market.

Graduate employment fell by more than 20 per cent in both 2009 and 2008, according to the poll of more than 1,000 former students at universities in Yorkshire.

The number of graduate-level jobs available in the region has also fallen – by 6.7 per cent in 2008 and a further 0.3 per cent in 2009.

The report warned the only expansion in the jobs market had come from the armed forces and the public sector.

It also says students in Yorkshire are staying in higher education because of the limited job opportunities and that a quarter of the graduate jobs available this year have already been filled by last year's university leavers.

Businesses and universities are urged to work more closely together to ensure graduates skills are utilised and the report recommends the creation of a university-wide employability strategy.

Yorkshire Universities chief executive Amelia Morgan said: "Understanding the value of higher education and higher- level skills to productivity, innovation and enterprise is essential if economic recovery is to be sustained in the Yorkshire and the Humber region.

"It is also vital that there is continued investment in graduate employability skills so that they can compete in a tough jobs market by having the skills employers need.

"Internships give graduates a route into a career, increasing their skills and confidence, yet also enabling businesses to experience the benefits of bringing fresh graduate talent into their workforce."

Lauren Ivory, who graduated in politics from Sheffield University, applied to a graduate internship scheme as a way of getting vital work experience.

"I was lucky enough to be selected for Patient Opinion – a social enterprise that collects the stories of patients to help make the NHS a better service," she said.

"I found myself being thrown into a world of innovation, creativity and looking at politics in a completely different way.

"The team was incredibly supportive and not only helped me gain experience but taught me the values behind their work. My internship was excellent and I would thoroughly recommend it to any graduate."