Job market in recovery but IT graduates struggle to get on ladder

Employers are recruiting IT staff but taking on seasoned veterans, rather than graduates

Even though more than 25 per cent of UK companies plan to increase their headcount in 2011, meaning a significant rise in vacancies for IT roles, IT graduates are still struggling to secure employment.

Some 28 per cent of UK companies said that they plan to take on more staff next year, according to a survey by professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. This compares with just 14 per cent last year.

And the IT industry has benefitted from this trend, with the number of IT vacancies rising considerably. When comparing the first 11 months of 2010 with the same period last year, specialist IT recruitment consultancy firm IntaPeople found that IT graduate vacancies in the UK have increased by almost 80 per cent.

However, research from the Higher Education Careers Services Unit recently showed that unemployment among IT graduates has grown from 13.7 to 16.3 per cent over the course of the year.

IntaPeople believes that a large proportion of these roles are being handed to more experienced job seekers, rather than graduates.

"Whilst it is encouraging that IT graduate vacancies are on the up, we estimate that graduates are being overlooked for these opportunities around 30 per cent of the time," said Stephen Riley, director at IntaPeople.

"A difficult economy has seen skilled IT professionals applying for roles that would usually be considered too junior for them. Although many employers set out with the intention of taking on fresh talent, they often find it hard to resist these more experienced applicants - especially if they are available at a similar salary level."