A total of 68.9 per cent of UK graduates for 2009-10 were in employment six months after completing their courses, new figures show.

According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), 8.8 per cent of those leaving institutions last year were assumed to be still jobless over the same time period, indicating thousands of individuals may still be seeking vacancies.

The data for employment outcomes of those qualifying with first degrees also revealed certain courses had rates of people out of work of up to 15 per cent, with high levels of joblessness seen in areas such as IT, communications and engineering, the Telegraph reports.

However, healthcare graduates saw low levels of individuals without paid positions, with the education and legal sectors also performing well in terms of roles.

In addition, the HESA figures improved on the 10.1 per cent unemployment recorded for 2008-09, while institutions reporting high levels of employment included Edinburgh, Cambridge, Newcastle and Aberdeen.

Universities minister David Willetts welcomed the data, saying: "Young people, for too long, have been taking these big decisions without the basic information about what their prospects might be."

Posted by Alex Donnell