...but bosses report too few skilled recruits

Employers cannot find suitable graduates to fill their vacancies, according to the annual survey of graduate salaries and vacancies by the Association of Graduate Recruiters.

This year 38 per cent of employers expect not to fill all of their graduate vacancies, compared with 25 per cent in 1997. Skills shortages in IT, computer science and electronics were identified. But organisations have not responded to recruitment problems with higher graduate salaries. The 1998 average remains Pounds 16,600, up by 4.3 per cent in line with the overall increase in average earnings.