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Prospects standing up to examination
Portsmouth's biggest recruitment fair this year took place on Wednesday, with an estimated 150,000 students surging through the city's Guildhall.
The annual showcase has been running for more than 20 years, organised by the University of Portsmouth, and this year was the largest yet, with two floors given over to stalls and tables from 70 employers offering everything from cutting-edge software jobs to air traffic control and nuclear decommissioning roles.
But with a rising tide of redundancies causing dismay for those already in work, what are the prospects for those just entering the labour market?
David Long is human resources director for EADS Astrium, a key exhibitor.
He said the company had upped its recruitment in Portsmouth in the last few years to between 15 and 20 jobs per annum, and despite highly demanding requirements, they had not seen a 'skills gap' often complained of by employers.
'We've been quite lucky in attracting people, simply because there is a lot of interest in the product,' he said. 'And because it's an exciting area to work in.
'I think over the last six months we've seen a slowing down of staff turnover. People are sitting tight. They've lost interest in looking elsewhere. If they've got a job, people are less willing to take the risk.
'But for the type of graduates we're looking for it's about the same. It's probably too early to see any kind of impact from the credit crunch – we've got an orderbook of work which will carry us through for years. Ask me in a year and we may know a bit more, but at the moment it's business as usual.'
One major cause for optimism is that Portsmouth has now developed a strong retention rate for graduates, with around 32 per cent of newly-skilled university leavers choosing to stay in the city last year, and only around eight per cent leaving for Southampton, against Southampton university's own 28 per cent local retention rate.
Guy Townsin, Purple Door careers manager, said: 'It's a trend that's definitely grown over the last few years, and it's substantial. But we've also got students coming from across the UK who like it here, like being near the sea, and opt to stay.'
Purple Door, the university's in-house recruitment service, is used by around 3,000 students and 2,500 businesses each year.
As well as placing graduates with jobs, it feeds back information on the kinds of techniques, skills and software now in demand in the private sector, to help tailor the academic output of the university.
It also charges a modest five per cent of the offered salary for finding jobs, against the much more sizable sums raked in by private manpower firms.
Helen Fuge, recruitment manager for Purple Door, said: 'The job market is definitely quieter. The SMEs (small and medium enterprises] are holding back on recruiting at the moment because of the credit crunch and lack of cashflow.
'But certain areas like web design are still very busy. IT's the one area that doesn't seem to be noticing a downfall.'
Caroline Collings, southeast Hampshire FSB chairman, said: 'The real growth sectors are knowledge-based, from things like VT, Astrium and ICT.
'It's harder across the board at the moment, not just for graduates. With the rise in unemployment and redundancies, it means many may have to revise down their expectations for salaries. For a long time we've seen a rise in salaries, and had got to a point where it's almost full employment, and that's changed.
'It's more of a buyer's market now – however, where there are still areas where skills are missing, demand is still very high.'
Each year, the university compiles a list of figures on graduates' employment status six months after leaving their courses.
The most recent figures, compiled in 2007, show employment rates up on the previous year, with business graduates enjoying a 91 per cent chance of finding a job, against 89 per cent the year before.
TOP 10 employers, and job figures
The top 10 employers of Portsmouth university graduates in 2006 (number of graduates employed):
1. NHS (109);
2. Council (94);
3. Armed Forces (35);
4. University of Portsmouth (25);
5. Central government agencies (17);
6. Boots the Chemist (12);
7. Tesco (10);
8. Hampshire Constabulary (9);
9. HSBC (7);
10. Lloyds (6).
Portsmouth's job market (2006, number of staff)
- Public administration, education, health: 33,200, 34 per cent of city workforce;
- Distribution, hotels: 22,200, 23 per cent;
- Banking, finance: 16,900, 18 per cent;
- Energy, agriculture: 10,800, 11 per cent;
- Transport and communications: 5,200, 5.5 per cent;
- Other services: 5,300, 5.5 per cent;
- Construction: 3,000, three per cent.
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Weather for Portsmouth
Wednesday 23 May 2012
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