More than four in 10 students are not confident of securing a job upon graduation, according to research from targetjobs.co.uk.

The research also shows that 18% of graduates say that the recession is the main reason why they plan to take up postgraduate study.

However, more than 40% of employers are set to increase their graduate intake compared with last year, while 50% of employers still have graduate vacancies to fill, according to the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR).

Chris Phillips, UK publishing director of targetjobs.co.uk, says: “This just goes to show the difference between perception and reality as some students react negatively to headlines. The message is: don’t give up; there are opportunities for you.”