Law firms are in the top three amongst employers who offer the highest salaries for graduates, according to new research from High Fliers.
The research found that the highest salaries are being offered by investment banks, followed by law firms and oil and energy companies. It also found that 50% of the roles advertised by investment banks and law firms are given to candidates who have previously undertaken a work experience placement with the employer.
Whilst graduate vacancies had increased in most industries, the study found that law firms were amongst the three sectors which saw vacancies fall. The armed forces and the public sector also saw the number of graduate vacancies decrease.
The median salary in the law sector is now £38,000, whilst in the investment bank sector it is £42,000. The report also reveals that top law firms now pay 25% more than they did in 2007.
Martin Birchall, Managing director of High Fliers Research, commented: “During the worst of the recession, many of the country’s brightest university-leavers opted out of job hunting and instead enrolled for further study or went travelling after graduating, in the hope that employment prospects would be better when they returned.
“Our latest survey of final year students shows that confidence in the graduate job market is finally improving and that more of the UK’s top students are expecting to find work after graduation.”
