UK faces brain drain as jobs dry up

OXBRIDGE GRADS LEAD THE WAY

The number of graduates leaving the UK from Oxford and Cambridge, traditional breeding grounds of Britain's political and business elite, has risen even faster, jumping by 43 percent in four years, HESA said.

Gordon Chesterman, director of the careers service at Cambridge University, said he had not noticed considerable increase in students looking to move abroad but that students were being encouraged to keep their options open.

We do advocate that students look very carefully at having a plan B and a plan C, and that plan B may well take them into their chosen career in four or five years time.

There has also been a substantial increase in students taking up foreign language courses alongside their degrees, a possible sign of wanting to move abroad, he said.

Asia is the fastest growing location for new graduates, jumping by 51 percent over the period. Australasia, a long-time favourite for Britons because of the ease of getting a working-visa, was up by 49 percent.

While the global slowdown has driven up youth unemployment in the EU, with rates in Spain and Greece over 40 percent according to OECD data, countries such as Australia, India and China have maintained more a resilient job market.

SKILLS SHORTAGE

The recent rise of British professionals moving abroad has alarmed the Home Office. It said the exodus may have implications for the availability of skills in

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