Financial services employ the most graduates in the UK

Hundreds of graduate opportunities are available across the UK in financial services, retail, manufacturing and the public sector, according to research released today.

A list of the top employers, compiled by The Complete University Guide, confirms that financial services firms including PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte, KPMG and Ernst & Young hire the most graduates in the UK.

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Retail companies such as Boots and Specsavers, car manufacturers, the Metropolitan Police and the British Army also provide more than 100 graduate-level jobs each.

Students at East Midlands universities such as the University of Nottingham could stay in the region to work for Rolls-Royce or Boots, with 160 graduate jobs up for grabs between the two companies in the area.

Meanwhile, Cambridge graduates could settle into settle into one of almost 200 posts offered by Tesco and Ford in the East of England.

Public sector jobs for local government, the British Army and the Ministry of Defence provide the majority of graduate opportunities elsewhere in England, Scotland and Wales, competing with regional offices of financial services firms and manufacturers.

Unsurprisingly, the top London employers are mostly in the private sector, with notable exceptions such as Teach First, Transport for London and the Metropolitan Police.

Since it is not uncommon for graduates to move regions to find or start jobs, the data are certainly not decisive as to where students with particular career aspirations should study in the UK.

Nonetheless, the data give an indication as to the industries with the most graduate opportunities and employment options in different regions.

Bernard Kingston, principal author of The Complete University Guide, said: “This analysis gives students thinking about their careers after university an evidence-based picture of the companies and organisations that recruit graduates into professional jobs, both nationally and, importantly, regionally.”

The tables, which are based on graduate reports from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey, can be found here.

Top graduate employers in the UK