Students not so keen on the capital

Technorati tags: labour market information,regional employment,LMI

A Capital One survey of 1000 new graduates published this week found that only one in five wanted a job based in London. The cost of living in the capital is cited as the main factor.

Now, the usual disclaimers about a biased survey from a small sample apply, but the difference is that this time the survey is actually backed by other findings elsewhere.

Analysis of this year's Destination of Leavers of Higher Education Survey finds that only 18.7% of employed graduates were working in London six months after graduating. Whilst London is a lure to many graduates, the myth that everyone wants to (or has to) work there is just that - a myth. As previous research from Graduate Prospects shows, there are opportunities for graduates around the country, and young graduates do move in search of them - and not always to London.

So although this survey may have statistical holes, it does back up something that has already been shown elsewhere. Many, if not most graduates don't want to have to work in London, no matter if that's where the highest salaries are to be found. Money isn't everything.