Nearly 70 graduates chase every job, research shows

The number of graduate vacancies has dropped by nearly 7 per cent this year, according to the biannual survey published by the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR).

The average graduate starting salary has also failed to rise, and remains static at the 2008 figure of £25,000. The fall in vacancies has caused a corresponding increase in the number of applications for each graduate job - the average now stands at 69 for each vacancy compared to 49 last year.