But a report, published today by the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR), shows that the public sector has begun to fight back. According to a survey of 224 leading employers by High Fliers Research, public sector starting salaries now match the national average of £22,000 for graduates and have increased by an inflation-busting 7 per cent year-on-year. This is the first time that average public sector pay has matched the private sector in the graduate market.
The number of vacancies has risen sharply too, with the public sector advertising almost a third more graduate jobs this year than in 2003. The Civil Service Fast Stream scheme that hires graduates to work across government has stepped up its intake this year, as have several individual departments and agencies.
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