Just 9% of graduates would choose working in the public sector over the private and charity sectors, according to new research from totaljobs.com.

The research also shows 20% of recent graduates have been looking for a job for over a year, with 31% claiming they would take any job that came along.

Mike Fetters, graduate director at totaljobs.com said: “We all know that the graduate market is tough at the moment with further public sector job cuts looming, but it’s surprising to see so few would choose to work in the public sector. Only a few years ago, the public sector was a top graduate job destination and despite the cuts, there are still positions  available, all of which provide good training, career progression and despite reports, a wide range of employee benefits. With this in mind, it’s really important for graduates to at least dip their toe in and look into this diverse sector and the opportunities it has to offer.”