You’ve done it! You’ve finished uni, got your degree, now you’re looking for your first job. Navigating through the job market can be tough for graduates, with stats showing around 35 people battle it out for every role advertised, so knowing where to focus on to start your career can be a huge help. There are certain parts of the UK where landing your first post-grad role is much more straightforward. Let’s take a look.  

London
It doesn’t come as much of a surprise that the capital is the number one place to find a graduate job. Research carried out by the Institute of Student Employers in November 2020 revealed 45% of grad roles were located in London. Every type of business and every size of company you can think of is in London, so you have the ability to gain experience in several different working environments, HR News reports.

South East
Coming in second is the South East. The Institute of Student Employers stated 8% of total grad employment opportunities were located in this region in 2020. So, what makes the Home Counties so preferable in the hunt for a grad role? Businesses within industries such as science, ICT and retail are everywhere in counties including Hampshire, Kent, Surrey and Berkshire. According to Hit Horizons: “The region with the highest number of companies - 210,119 is Hampshire. Medway has the lowest number of companies - 31,291. The top three most frequently registered business activities are Science - 16.9%, ICT - 11.1% and Wholesale, retail - 10.7%.” As such, despite having a higher cost of living than other areas in Britain, the South East is a great choice for grads looking to start their career.

Glasgow
Although 7% of all graduates in the Institute of Student Employers’ figures were based in Scotland, Glasgow was voted the best city in the UK to live and work as a graduate, according to findings by CV Library. Average earnings are around £26,000, and due to the comparatively low property prices, savers would only need approximately 18% of their salary to buy a house within five years. Major employers based in the city include JP Morgan, Deloitte, and KPMG. 
Good luck on finding your dream job!