SMEs ‘may not recruit graduates in recession’

Few small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are likely to recruit graduates as the recession continues to put pressure on business operations, it has been revealed.

A new report from the Centre For Enterprise (CFE) has revealed almost 90 per cent of SMEs have no plans to hire recent graduates.

Meanwhile, only 11 per cent of such organisations have taken on a newly graduated individual over the past 12 months, the research found.

Furthermore, small businesses were found to be confused when it came to what exactly a graduate qualification is, with 29 per cent incorrectly believing it was an A-level and only 59 per cent correctly identifying it as a foundation degree.

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James Kewin, joint managing director of CFE, said: “Our research suggests that the current trend for increasing the employability skills of graduates will, in isolation, have only a marginal impact.”

Richard Doherty, group vice-president of solutions at Jobpartners, recently claimed social media could be a positive means for businesses to recruit young people.