Graduates with 2:2s ‘must consider flipping burgers’

Thousands of new graduates currently celebrating their degrees have been warned that a 2:2 will not be enough to get a decent job and that they should consider working in a burger kitchen or stacking supermarket shelves in order to start earning.

The warning comes from the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) whose research shows that 78 per cent of top employers are now filtering out any job applicants with less than a first or a 2:1.

The most recent available figures, for the academic year 2008-09, show that two-thirds of students achieve either a first class degree or a 2:1. This means one-third of graduates achieve no more than a 2:2 and face being stonewalled by many employers.

The AGR polled more than 200 firms including Cadbury, Marks & Spencer, JP Morgan and Vodafone. The survey showed that, as the recession continues to bite, 69 graduates are chasing each available job - up from 48 a year ago.

Carl Gilleard, the AGR's chief executive, said this summer's graduates had no choice but to be more flexible. "Any employment is better than no employment [even] if it's about flipping burgers or stacking shelves rather than being sat at home feeling sorry for yourself...

"There are lots of other skills required and valued, like people skills: you could be on a counter in a store," said Gilleard. "It's all about building up your skills base."

The AGR research found many graduate employers were cutting back on recruitment as a result of the recession. There was one bright spot however: a revival in banking, insurance and accountancy meant vacancies are expected to rise in this sector. ·