University leavers in 2007 can expect to earn higher salaries than in previous years, but they will also face much stiffer competition, according to reports published today.
Research found that average starting salaries offered by Britain's top firms are likely to reach £25,000, which is an increase of £1,700 on last year's figures.
The study, carried out by High Fliers, also warned that there would be an average of 50 more applicants for each vacancy at Britain's leading firms.
Martin Birchall, managing director of High Fliers Research, explained the reason why graduates are facing tougher competition for the top jobs. "The recent expansion of employers' graduate programmes has not kept pace with the huge rise in the number of students going to university over the past decade," he said.
Around 265,000 graduates are expected to leave university in 2007.
Some eight per cent of total graduate jobs are within the accountancy sector, according to the Graduate Recruitment Bureau.
Elsewhere, reports suggest that IT graduates face the toughest competition, with the highest graduate unemployment rates at 10.3 per cent.
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