Choosing where to live and secure your first job is one of the biggest decisions that you will take as a recent graduate. To many of us, life outside of work is more important than our employment. It provides the support mechanisms and basic structure to your life.
We often speak to people who are happy to relocate anywhere for the right job, but we find employers are more interested in those candidates that have a genuine link to their regional location. Some key links could be home, study, family, or friends.
There is some definitive research in this field, but we thought we would ask our database of geo-professionals as well. Our industry-specific findings were interestingly different to the overall country statistic:
| The Department of Education official statistics from 2019 | Penguin Geo 2024 survey |
|---|---|
| 52% remain in their region of study (a figure which includes those that studied near home too). | 16.8% took a role near their university |
| 82% remain near home/family | 48.3% took a role near home/family |
| 9.7% moved elsewhere. | 43.9% moved elsewhere (10% to London) |
