7 min read

Where do graduates want to live and work?

With COVID-19 having impacted graduates’ career choices, we look at their current living situations and how the pandemic has affected where they are looking to live and work in the future. Learn more about how our findings present opportunities for businesses to showcase their closest cities to students and graduates.

Our latest piece of research, My First Virtual Job: Supporting graduate talent remotely, saw us surveying over 3,000 students and graduates in February 2021, to understand how the impact of COVID-19 has affected their career choices. With lockdown restrictions in place across the UK, many graduates have had to adjust their career plans, or put them hold. Likewise, many have had to reconsider where to live due to finances.

Here we will take a closer look at where graduates are living and how the pandemic may have changed their path:

Location expectations versus reality

During the first lockdown of 2020, we surveyed students and graduates as part of our annual Candidate Compass Report, asking where they were looking to work. The majority (29%) said London, followed by the North West (7%), the South West (6%) and the East Midlands (5%).

When we compare these responses to our most recent research during the third lockdown, we see a disparity between where graduates were looking to work and where they live now. Our findings show that there are less graduates living in London than anticipated (24%), showing that reality has been somewhat different from expectations. An increasing number of graduates are currently living in areas outside of the capital like the South East (14%), the South West (9%) and the East Midlands (9%).

Nearly half (48%) of graduates said the pandemic has made them consider moving somewhere else to live and over two-thirds have already made the move to somewhere new. The most common reasons for moving are to save money (58%), to be closer to friends and family (44%) and due to the cost of living (41%).

Opportunities for employers

With many graduates’ having changed their location as a result of the pandemic, employers are presented with new recruitment opportunities. As fewer graduates are living in London than expected, companies can highlight the benefits of working in other UK cities.

By showcasing the benefits of cities outside of London, companies can persuade graduates that other areas in the UK have just as much, if not more, to offer. When creating job adverts and descriptions, employers can draw attention to what the location has to offer.

For example, our research finds that 28% of graduates have moved so they can afford to get onto the property ladder. Employers can take advantage of this insight by highlighting the competitive property prices of the area. Companies can also showcase what locations have to offer in terms of lifestyle, cost of living, attractions and schools. Essentially, employers can use the unique selling points of their location to encourage candidates to apply for roles.

In addition to showcasing the city itself, companies would do well to highlight flexible working opportunities to attract a larger talent pool. Our research finds that of the graduates who have moved due to the pandemic, 40% say it was because there’s no need to be close to the office when working remotely. It’s also key to note here that nearly four in ten (38%) who are currently living elsewhere report that they do not plan to move back to their initial location. Employers can take advantage of this by demonstrating how remote working provides a better work-life balance. Likewise, mapping out clear progression plans, mentioning employee benefits and highlighting learning and development opportunities in marketing collateral can also help graduates envision a future at a company.

Our sister site, Totaljobs, has created some ‘City CVs‘, a useful set of guides that show why jobseekers should consider a particular city when looking for their next job. Each CV provides an overview of the city and explains the advantages of living and working there. They also highlight each city’s ‘timeline of experience’, core industries and the cultural and social scenes on offer. The cities currently covered by the CVs include, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield.

Find and download your relevant City CV below and make the most of a workforce on the move.

Reaching the right candidates

Our audience tells us that the top locations students and graduates are currently job searching for are:

South East (195,362),
London (158,941)
Midlands (46,257)
North West (33,387)
Scotland (22,065)
Yorkshire (18,747)

Companies should note that more graduates are searching for jobs in the South East than in London, which further demonstrates the opportunity that companies have to advertise the cities they operate in.

At Milkround, we help employers reach the right candidates through our national and regional listings. We help them showcase their brand through tailored company profiles, where they can demonstrate what it’s like to work for the company and what graduates can expect. Targeted emails offer brand exposure and the opportunity to reach top talent first, as well as being able to draw attention to the benefits of the location. Companies can also create premium job listings to attract a wider talent pool, which allows companies to embed videos to again display the company culture.

We connect with students and graduates from all across the UK, advertising roles to the right candidates, based on their preferences. We currently have over 600,000 active students and graduates looking for jobs with 486,000 final year students and recent graduates in our database.