{"id":2063,"date":"2021-02-02T12:00:22","date_gmt":"2021-02-02T12:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/?p=2063"},"modified":"2025-10-22T15:15:52","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T14:15:52","slug":"graduate-opportunities-in-2021-what-can-we-expect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/2021\/02\/02\/graduate-opportunities-in-2021-what-can-we-expect\/","title":{"rendered":"Graduate opportunities in 2021: what to expect"},"content":{"rendered":"

In November we gave you an update on how the graduate labour market was faring<\/a>. As we\u2019re now in a new year, we thought it was a good time to give an update\u00a0<\/span>and also<\/span>\u00a0look forward to what we can expect in 2021.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We recently attended an excellent webinar hosted b<\/span>y Charlie Ball from<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Pr<\/span>ospects Luminate<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and Rebecca Fielding\u00a0<\/span>from\u00a0<\/span>GradConsult<\/span><\/a>\u00a0who shared their predictions and insights for\u00a0<\/span>2021.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>So<\/span>\u00a0w<\/span>hat can we expect?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How are things looking<\/span>\u00a0right\u00a0now\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

We\u2019re back in another lockdown \u2013 so things are still not at the same level they were in previous years. Estimates reckon that vacancy adverts are at 70% of normal levels. However, this is really sector dependent<\/span>\u00a0and many sectors are still actively recruiting.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It is also worth emphasising that sectors that recruit lots of graduates are generally less impacted.\u00a0<\/span>So<\/span>\u00a0the doom and gloom you might see on the news about the broader labour market doesn\u2019t necessarily all apply to graduate jobs! There are\u00a0<\/span>definitely employers<\/span>\u00a0still recruiting graduates.\u00a0 And with the vaccine rollout underway, there is lots to be hopeful about.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Graduate opportunities in 2021\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

So<\/span>\u00a0what can we expect to change in 2021? Well, for graduate jobs it is\u00a0<\/span>expected<\/span>\u00a0to be better than 2020. With the vaccine rollout, predictions suggest that there will be an increase in vacancies as we progress through the year.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t overlook\u00a0<\/span>SMEs<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

In the UK, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) make up 99% of all businesses. Although organised graduate schemes are not common in these businesses, they do\u00a0<\/span>regularly\u00a0<\/span>recruit graduates. As they can be much more agile and responsive than larger organisations, it is expected they will bounce back and start recruiting earlier.<\/span>\u00a0In addition, research from previous recessions show that SMEs are the first to increase recruitment.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, SMEs don\u2019t always advertise jobs, so networking, word of mouth and speculative applications are necessary<\/span>\u00a0alternative<\/span>\u00a0job<\/span>-<\/span>hunting strategies.\u00a0<\/span>Why don<\/span>\u2019t you start networking\u00a0<\/span>now,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>from the comfort of your home?<\/span><\/a>\u00a0Start those relationships now and you never know how this may benefit you in your job search when SME<\/span>s will be looking for new hires<\/span>\u00a0for immediate starts<\/span>\u00a0closer to the summer.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>We have more information about SMEs and why you might want\u00a0<\/span>consider<\/span>\u00a0working at one on\u00a0<\/span>MyFuture<\/span>.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Be flexible<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

If you find that there are few positions available in your preferred career pathway<\/span>, make sure to be flexible in your career planning. How or where else can you use the skills that you have acquired from your degree, work or voluntary\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0experiences these last few\u00a0<\/span>years?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>In addition, are you widening your horizons about what jobs and sectors are available to you with your degree?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Did you know that there are plenty of opportunities that don\u2019t require a specific degree or may be more flexible on degree subjects than you might expect?\u00a0<\/span>Find out more about graduate jobs that are open to all disciplines.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So<\/span>\u00a0if you have a Chemistry degree<\/span>, did you know that<\/span>\u00a0you can still apply for graduate roles within policy in Civil Service? If you have a psychology degree<\/span>\u00a0and enjoy numbers, you may still be able to apply for a Data Analyst role in a finance company. As a sport science student<\/span>\u00a0with an interest in technology, you might be able to apply for positions within health technology<\/span>\u00a0and so on<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Have a look at what some of\u00a0<\/span>our<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Bath grads have gone on to do for inspiration.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Virtual working<\/span>\u00a0and recruitment<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

A third of the workforce is currently working from home and rates are higher in industries that recruit large numbers of graduates like IT and consulting.\u00a0<\/span>Many companies have seen benefits of virtual working so you might find that graduate job vacancies over 2021 continue to offer remote and flexible working options. This might mean you<\/span>\u00a0can be more flexible about locations. You may be<\/span>\u00a0able to work in London<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0without<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>actually<\/span>\u00a0having<\/span>\u00a0to live in London<\/span>\u00a0for example<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>And if you need to be based in one location,\u00a0<\/span>jobs in\u00a0<\/span>the whole country could still be open to you!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Employers\u00a0<\/span>have also found benefits to online recruitment like video interviews and virtual assessments.\u00a0<\/span>So<\/span>\u00a0you might still experience these even if there is a return to the \u201cnormality\u201d of some office working.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>You can find lots of resources on\u00a0<\/span>MyFuture<\/span>\u00a0to help\u00a0<\/span>you prepare for virtual recruitment stages.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

All this remote working might also create new jobs. There is a lot of interest in wellbeing of remote-based workforces so there could be some exciting new opportunities to work in areas around wellbeing and mental health for home workers.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Take home message<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

We want to reassure you that there is no need to panic if you haven\u2019t finalised your plans for<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>af<\/span>ter\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0graduation<\/span>\u00a0yet. Or have graduated but haven\u2019t found quite the right position so far. There are still opportunities\u00a0<\/span>available<\/span>\u00a0and we are likely to see more opportunities being advertised as things improve throughout this year.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Start researching SMEs, follow interesting companies online and network with alumni in job roles you are interested in.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Flexibility is key. Remember, have a plan A, plan B and so on and consider widening your career options to career pathways outside of your degree.\u00a0<\/span>The \u2018linear career path\u2019 is increasingly a thing of the past.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It is clear that remote<\/span>\u00a0working and remote recruitment may well be here to stay.\u00a0<\/span>So<\/span>\u00a0it is worth preparing yourself for virtual interviews and other recruitment stages<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you need further support \u2013 we are here to help<\/span>\u00a0you at every stage of your career journey. Find resources, events, appointments and much more on MyFuture<\/a><\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Source for labour market data and trends:\u202f<\/span><\/i>Prospects Luminate<\/span><\/i><\/a>
\nThis blog was written collaboratively by Aste Dahl, Ghislaine Dell and Rebecca Wray<\/em>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In November we gave you an update on how the graduate labour market was faring. As we\u2019re now in a new year, we thought it was a good time to give an update\u00a0and also\u00a0look forward to what we can expect...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1174,"featured_media":2064,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[748],"tags":[592,552,165],"class_list":["post-2063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archive","tag-careeressentials","tag-covid-19","tag-graduate-job-search"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/82\/2021\/01\/2021.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2063","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1174"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2063"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2063\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}