Research

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Graduates in Employment Survey 2011

Graduates in Employment Survey 2011

In 2011 Impact re-visited their Graduates in Employment Survey. The survey revealed that graduates are still focused on their future job prospects. 87% see the opportunity for career progression as the most important criteria when applying for a job.
Once again the top concern amongst 88% of graduates in employment is their long-term career progression, while many respondents are also worried about job retention and debt. 84% of employed graduates claim that retaining their job is their biggest worry and 59% say they are most concerned about having enough funds to maintain their chosen lifestyle.
So what do graduates look for in an organisation when applying for a job?
After career progression, 61% say financial incentives are the most important and rank higher than job security. In fact, according to 50%, training and development is the most crucial, followed by 36% voting for job security.
In a turnaround from last time over half of those surveyed (61%) say they feel positive and confident. about starting a new job in the current climate, with only 19% feeling insecure.
In the post economic recession, what should organisations be focusing on the most?
In a change from last year only 17% believed communication, having open dialogue with your team and sharing information was important. Graduate voted the most vital was employee engagement (32%) with 30% voting for embracing change and innovation: being open to and developing new ideas, looking to the future.
Half of the respondents agree that employers have increased their expenditure on training & development in the last 12 months. Only a small majority noticed an increase in opportunities for promotion and career progression (23%) and career progression (23%).
“It is evident that graduates are feeling more positive about employment opportunities with almost two thirds feeling confident about starting a new job in the current economic climate. This reveals a significantly different picture from Impact’s 2009 survey where almost half of respondents felt insecure about their job prospects.
Though whilst graduates are feeing more optimistic about the future they still have concerns about the opportunities for career progression open to them in their current roles. The vast majority of graduates believed this to be the most important factor when looking for a job but few thought organisations had actually increased their investment in this area over the past 12 months.
High expectations of working life make graduates notoriously hard to retain so businesses need to ensure they are responding to these expectations in order to ensure their graduates are emotionally committed to a long-term development journey in their organisation. Training and development opportunities and implementation of a clear employee engagement strategy were amongst the most important areas graduates thought businesses should be focusing on in the 2011 survey.
Attracting, developing and retaining talented graduates is integral to the strategy of a sustainable business and it is more important than ever that businesses help graduates and new talent develop the commitment, business skills and behaviours necessary to add measurable value at both organisational and individual level.”
David Williams, Founder and CEO, Impact International
Research information
All figures are from Impact International. Total sample size was 142 graduates. Fieldwork was undertaken between October and December 2011. The survey was carried out online.
To read our proposition on Graduate Development please click here.

To read Dave's latest blog on Generation Z please click here.
To view the results from our 2009 research, please click here.
Global Survey Results

Global Survey Results

Between November 2010 and January 2011 Impact International conducted a global survey into people development trends.
Our research involved 296 professionals from across the globe. The majority of these were Senior-level managers, with additional representation from those at Director and Middle Manager level. The majority of respondents were based in an HR/Learning and Development function. Those who took part were spread across a wide variety of sectors – both public, private and not for profit. 63% of the respondents had worked with Impact before.
The Survey Report covers the key findings of our Global Survey, providing tips and advice on the people development trends revealed.
To request your free copy, please tiree [dot] dawson [at] impactinternational [dot] com (subject: Please%20send%20me%20a%20copy%20of%20the%20Global%20Survey) (click here)
Graduates in Employment Survey 2009

Graduates in Employment Survey 2009

The results of our recent Graduates in Employment Survey revealed that in the current economic climate, despite the doom and gloom, graduates are focused on their future job prospects. 87% see the opportunity for career progression as the most important criteria when applying for a job.
The top concern amongst 90% of graduates in employment is their long-term career progression, while many respondents are also worried about job retention and debt. In fact, 80% of employed graduates claim that retaining their job is their biggest worry and 64% say they are most concerned about having enough funds to maintain their chosen lifestyle.
So what do graduates look for in an organisation when applying for a job?
After career progression, 55% say financial incentives are the most important and rank higher than job security. In fact, according to 45%, training and development is the most crucial, followed by 44% voting for job security.
Nearly half of those surveyed (43%) say they would feel insecure about starting a new job in the current climate, but despite this, there is optimism among some and over a third believe that they would be positive and confident.
In challenging times for employers and staff, what should organisations be focusing on the most?
37% of graduates believe that communication, having open dialogue with your team and sharing information is the most vital. Graduates also recognise the significance of employee engagement, with 30% voting for the need to ensure staff feel positive about their job and are prepared to go the extra mile and perform to the best of their ability.
The vast majority of respondents agree that employers are cutting back in specific areas at the moment. According to 64%, financial incentives and benefits have been cut, followed by training and development and then oppotunities for promotion.
"Understandably, graduates are feeling the pressure of the current economic climate. While over a third would feel positive and confident about starting a new job, it's clear that bosses and businesses have a lot of work to do to reassure graduates. Impact's survey reveals that the biggest concern among the majority of graduates is the diminishing opportunities open to them in their current roles. While experience with clients shows there are still good opportunities out there with both blue-chip and young brands, organisations need to be clear in the communicating the opportunities open to graduates. Those still recruiting need their graduates to be of the highest calibre. It's therefore never been more crucial to attract, develop and engage with employees to retain an organisation's most important resource - its people."
David Williams, Founder and CEO, Impact International
Research information
All figures are from Impact International. Total sample size was 200 graduates. Fieldwork was undertaken between July and August 2009. the survey was carried out online.
Leadership Survey
Leadership Survey

Entrepreneurs Are Most Admired Leaders In Crunch Time Britain
Survey from Impact International finds Gordon Ramsay and Karen Brady are more respected than Gordon Brown

A recent survey by Impact International announces that bosses need to raise their leadership game to face their biggest challenge; engaging employees. With leadership skills under greater scrutiny than ever, entrepreneurs are the most admired, while only half of those surveyed think their current boss is a good leader.

Key statistics:
- 60% rank Sir Richard Branson as the most admired leader, with 40% voting for Sir Alan Sugar
- 18% admire David Cameron the most, while Gordon Ramsay and Karen Brady win more votes than the Prime Minster, scoring 15% and 11% respectively, against 10% for Gordon Brown
- Engaging employees is the main challenge facing leaders according to over half of respondents, followed by 52% of respondents who see sustainability as the biggest challenge
- Only half of those surveyed think their current boss is a good leader
- A quarter believe their boss has changed his or her leadership style to respond to the economic climate
- 62% believe communication is the most important quality in a leader
- Half of respondents think motivation is the most important quality in a leader
The YouGov survey commissioned by Impact International, a leadership development company headquartered in Windermere, suggests politicians are faring less well in today’s climate, with only 18% voting for David Cameron, while Karen Brady and Gordon Ramsay are ranked more highly than the Prime Minister. In fact, 15% of respondents voted for Gordon Ramsay and 11% for Karen Brady, but just 1 in 10 for Gordon Brown. Others commended for their leadership include Sir Alex Ferguson, Joanna Lumley, Stuart Rose and Nick Clegg.

Engaging employees is the biggest challenge facing leaders today. In fact, 54% of respondents believe the hardest task for bosses is to engage staff by creating an environment where employees are positive about their job. This includes being prepared to go the extra mile to make sure they do their job to the best of their ability.

Sustainability is also seen as one of the main challenges for leaders to address. Half of respondents recognise the difficulties of balancing employee, community, environmental and stakeholder needs to improve business performance.

The poll reveals a huge challenge ahead for all bosses and business leaders as only half of those surveyed believe their current boss is a good leader. The Welsh are most happy with their bosses; 63% think their boss is a good leader, followed by 59% in the North West and 56% in the West Midlands. Bosses in Yorkshire and The Humber have the most work to do with just over half of respondents claiming their boss is not a good leader, followed by Scotland according to 48%.

Asked whether their bosses have changed their leadership style to respond to the economic climate, only a quarter believe that their boss has done so. Londoners think their bosses have changed, with nearly a third agreeing – more than in any other region. In addition, Londoners have the highest number of people that think their bosses need a change of leadership style, with a quarter strongly agreeing something needs to be done. This contrasts to the South West who are most opposed to change - 66% disagree that their bosses must adapt in current economic conditions.

So what are the most important qualities in a leader?
- Communication comes out on top and 62% recognise that it is crucial to share information, have open dialogue with employees and engage with the whole organisation
- Motivation is also key, with half of respondents recognising the need to energise and inspire people to be passionate and committed to work
- A third thinks that embracing change and innovation is the most important quality and believe it is essential to be open and to develop new ideas.
“It’s clear that bosses and business leaders have a lot of work to do and need to raise their game during this testing economic crisis. While Impact’s survey with YouGov reveals that communication is the most important leadership quality, for organisations to survive and grow, it’s also crucial to positively engage with employees,” said David Williams, Founder and CEO, Impact International.

“By inspiring and making people feel valued, only then will leaders be able to attract and retain the best talent, and ensure they have the strongest team in place to meet future challenges.”

Research Information
All figures are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2072 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 29th May - 1st June 2009. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).
To read our proposition on Developing Leaders please click here.