Number of graduates working for free or in low-paid jobs is on the increase

According to new figures compiled by The Independent, the number of graduates going into unpaid
employment or voluntary work has increased by 23% in the past year and have more than tripled
since 2003.

A report, due to be released by the Higher Education Statistics Authority, claims 6,295graduates
worked for free last year – an increase from 5,120 on the year before.

The figures also show the number of graduates going into the internships, or low or unpaid
positions, in the professional services rose by21 per cent in the past year. In Scotland the increase
was as high as 36%.

In the UK it is illegal for employers to pay less than the national minimum wage of £6.08 an hour
to workers aged 21 and over. But according to a recent survey by Chartered Institute for Personnel
and Development, more than a third of employers do not pay that amount. Internships, which are
aimed at giving graduates on-the-job training in the professions, are common in marketing, banking,
finance, information services and creative industries such as publishing.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: "We need to end the unfair expectation that young
people will work for nothing or next to nothing. This deliberate over-reliance on free or low-paid
work helps keep less affluent graduates out of the most desirable jobs and bolsters recruitment
through the old school tie network."

The skills sector organisation Creative and Cultural Skills and the Arts Council of England
recommends all interns be paid at least the national minimum wage.

A Department for Business, Innovation and Skills spokesman said: "We encourage businesses to
offer internships openly and transparently and to provide financial support to ensure fair access. It
is for employers to ensure they comply with national minimum wage legislation and it is for young
people themselves to weigh up the potential benefits to their employability."

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/big-rise-in-number-of-graduates-
forced-to-work-for-free-7973450.html