Student job confidence falls

Student debt continues to rise

Students are less confident about their job prospects than at any time in the past decade, suggests a survey.

According to a survey of 14,000 final-year university students, young people are fearful of the economic consequences of the 11 September attacks.

Almost three-quarters of those interviewed believed the employment market would be adversely affected by the terrorist attacks.

Less than a quarter of students expect to walk straight into a job - compared with almost half in 1998.

The most popular employment ambition for students was to work in the media.

Playing safe

But fears over job prospects have contributed to a trend for students to apply for safer career options, such as accountancy, engineering and finance.

This survey, carried out by High Fliers Research, is the latest to find a large increase in the level of debt among students.

This year's average debt is £9,100 per student, which represents a 50% increase on the findings of last year's survey.

The government is currently carrying out a review of student funding, which is intended to address student hardship and worries over the growing burden of debt.

"Students' confidence is lower now than at any time in the last decade and as a result many have been applying for graduate positions in career areas which offer better job security and training for professional qualifications," said survey director Martin Birchal.