CAREERS NEWS | IN BRIEF
STUDENT DEBT TAKES 11 YEARS TO PAY OFF
Crippling student debt will take 11 years on average to clear, says uSwitch research. Almost four in ten graduates (38 per cent) are putting big life decisions such as getting married or starting a family on hold because of student debt. Michael Ossei of uSwitch.com says: “The fact that graduates have to put their life on hold because they are knee-deep in student debt is a sorry state of affairs. And as fees go up, students risk running up even bigger debts. But without a degree, getting a job in today’s stagnant market may be even harder.” Two thirds of these graduates said they underestimated how much debt they would incur.
EMPLOYERS SAY NO TO OLYMPIC FLEXI-TIME
Half of employers are not allowing flexible time for the 2012 Olympics, says a Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals (CIPP) poll. Just 10 per cent of employers will be allowing flexible working for the Olympics next year. Diana Bruce of the CIPP says: “Although employees have the right to request it, they do not have the right to receive it. For an employee to be granted flexible working, they will need to have worked at their organisation for at least 26 weeks and not to have made any previous requests for flexible working in the past 12 months”. They also need to have have been lucky enough to get tickets.
HALF OF IT PROS LOOKING FOR A NEW JOB
Almost half of all IT professionals are actively seeking work, says a survey by the IT Job Board. While 42 per cent of IT professionals are actively seeking work, a further 52 per cent are keeping an eye on the jobs market. The survey showed that by the end of the third quarter, 35 percent of permanent workers plan to move jobs, compared to more than half (57 per cent) of contractors, who will look to change roles. Alexandra Farrell of The IT Job Board says: “UK businesses could be in for a shock, as we climb out of recession. Clearly, large numbers of highly skilled workers are contemplating their futures, wanting to take their precious skills elsewhere.”