More jobs for graduates

The number of graduate job vacancies has risen 15.1 per cent since last year to the highest figure since 1995, according to the latest survey by the Association of Graduate Recruiters.

The annual AGR Graduate Recruitment Survey, which questions 211 of the UK's leading employers, predicted that the increase in graduates' starting salaries would be the lowest in six years: a rise of 2.1 per cent in the median graduate starting salary of £23,431.

Employers are expected to find it hard to fill vacancies because applicants lack vital skills and qualifications, the AGR said.

* Students at Manchester University are being targeted by more of the top 100 recruiters for 2007 graduate vacancies than the students of any other UK university, according to a survey by High Fliers Research.