A "disillusioned generation" of graduates has been created as the majority of people who took their degrees in the past two years are not working in a profession related to their studies, a new report has said.
Most recent graduates are unable to find a suitable job, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).
As many as 60% of the 700 graduates who were quizzed for a survey were in a job unrelated to their degree.
More than one in four respondents decided to delay looking for a job, and a similar number said their degree did not equip them with the skills they needed for the workplace.
Tom Richmond, skills adviser at the CIPD, said: "Our survey findings suggest the Government's target of 75% of young people achieving a degree or equivalent level qualification is counter-productive and should be urgently reviewed.
"As rising youth unemployment threatens to create a lost generation of jobless young people, the rising number of students unable to work in jobs related to the subjects they studied at university threatens to create a disillusioned generation of graduates, unable to find graduate-level employment but still saddled with thousands of pounds worth of debt."
