IT graduates have the hardest task finding work

Some 14 per cent of the class of 2008 computer science graduates are still unemployed

Many IT graduates are having a hard time

Last year’s computer science graduates are having a harder time finding a job than any of their peers from other study subjects.

The latest figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency show that 14 per cent of computer science students who graduated in 2008 are currently unemployed – a higher proportion than any other discipline.

Across all subjects, just 8.4 per cent of last year’s graduates are out of work.

Male IT students are slightly worse off – 14.6 per cent are unemployed, compared to 12.8 per cent of female computer science graduates. But only 18 per cent of last year’s IT graduates were women – reflecting the male dominance of the industry.

In total, more than 260,000 students graduated from UK universities last year, of which 11,125 studied computer science.