Canary Wharf
The AGR said employers from 11 of 13 sectors surveyed expect to take on more new graduates in 2014 Reuters

Financial companies in the UK are planning a bigger recruitment drive of graduates this year, according to Association of Graduate Recruiters.

The organisation's Graduate Recruitment Summer Survey 2014, which surveyed 200 graduate recruiters across 17 sectors, revealed the banking and financial services industries showed the largest predicted vacancy increase of 54% on last year.

Related

The AGR explained that employers from 11 of the 13 sectors surveyed expect to take on a larger number of new graduates this year and only the FMCG and energy, water and utility sectors anticipate a decrease, of 13% and 9% respectively.

The study also revealed that graduate starting salaries are set to improve, with the median rising by £500 ($853, €634) from last year to £27,000.

"The rise in vacancies and salaries shown in our summer report is fantastic news for graduates and it is encouraging to see that employers are able to invest in graduate talent in this way," said Stephen Isherwood, chief executive of the AGR.

"However, this doesn't mean the job market is easy. There are still unfilled graduate vacancies as employers are not always able to find the right people, with the right knowledge, skills and attitudes for the job."

The research also revealed that graduate investment bank or fund managers can expect the largest financial rewards, with median starting salaries of £43,500.