Work experience is more important than ever before for graduates looking to get a foot on the career ladder, according to new job market research.

A new report from High Fliers Research shows that over one third of graduate jobs are filled by candidates who have already had work experience with that employer.

The report shows that as well as employers preferring to choose graduates with work experience, there are also record numbers of graduates applying for each vacancy. This creates a situation where graduates without work experience have “little or no chance”, says the report.

The Graduate Market in 2012 report, based on a survey of a hundred leading employers, reveals a recovering jobs market for graduates.

There will be 6% more graduate entry jobs for university leavers in 2012 than there were in 2011, suggests the research.

The report tempers this optimism by revealing that graduate vacancies have still not recovered to the levels from before the financial crisis and there are 50,000 more graduates leaving university this year compared with 2007.

Martin Birchall, managing director of High Fliers Research, welcomed the increase in graduate vacancies.

However he said the research was a "stark warning to the Class of 2012 that in a highly competitive graduate job market, new graduates who've not had any work experience at all during their time at university have little hope of landing a well-paid job with a leading employer".

Posted by Caroline Fox

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