Survey aims to find reasons behind graduate unemployment in Scotland

A new survey on graduate employment in Scotland has been launched in the hope of determining the reasons behind a slump in graduate employment. The survey, by Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS), will run until 7 May and is open to anyone who has graduated in the last six years.

After receiving reports of financial troubles amongst graduates seeking employment CAS intend to use this survey to help understand the factors which are preventing graduates from getting jobs. It was recently revealed that nearly a third of those unemployed in Scotland are between the ages of 18 and 24.

The survey, the first of its kind in Scotland, will include a broad range of questions in the hope of revealing some of the causes of graduate unemployment. Graduates will be asked about their views on their current situation and what plans they have outlined for the future.

Additionally, it will ask how well graduates think their university prepared them for employment and how they are treated by job centres, the government and employers.

Acting Chief executive of CAS, Susan McPhee, said: "It used to be the case that a degree would lead to economic security. Since the recession, however, the outlook for recent graduates has been bleak. In the final quarter of 2011 the unemployment rate for recent graduates was 18.9 per cent - more than double the national average. Meanwhile 35.9 per cent of graduates who are in work find themselves in a lower level of employment."