For recent college graduates in the United Kingdom, entry level jobs (Click here) in the public sector may be the way to go.

In the United Kingdom, half of all college graduates end up working in the public sector. Even though the current unemployment rate there is 7.9 percent, the number of organizations looking to recruit college graduates has remained strong.

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit, a research charity, recently released "What Do Graduates Do?" That report found that during 2008 the number of graduates entering healthcare, teaching and social work increased significantly.

The number of entry level social workers increased the most, edging up by 55 percent from 2007 to more than 2,500 employees. Those working as medical practitioners or pre-registration house officers increased by 15 percent, from 4,430 workers in 2007 to 5,100 workers in 2008.The number of secondary school teachers increased by 14 percent, from 1,850 in 2007 to 2,110 in 2008.

Currently, more recent graduates are opting for jobs in the public sector in order to maintain a higher level of job security amidst the current economic recession. However, the trend is unlikely to continue, as government spending is expected to decrease next year.

Although major positions, such as those in education and healthcare, are less likely to be affected, fewer positions for those entering the workforce will be available in local and central government.

"As the economy recovers in 2010 we will see a reduction in people going into public sector roles," Charlie Ball, deputy research director at HECSU, told the Times Online. "In the past 10 years the public sector has had unprecedented access to talent. It will need to do its best to keep hold of that talent in the coming years."

Another recent report from the Centre for Cities found that of the 1.2 million jobs created between 1998 and 2007, 69 percent were in the public sector. However, 290,000 public sector jobs are expected to be lost throughout the United Kingdom by 2014.