This summer's university leavers face a tougher jobs market, with a forecast of a 4% fall in graduate vacancies.

The Association of Graduate Recruiter (AGR) annual summer survey shows that leading UK employers are receiving 85 applications for each job.

The survey shows a sharp downturn in jobs in banking and finance.

"The current graduate market is the story of the economy, stagnant in places with growth in some areas," says the AGR's Stephen Isherwood.

The president of the National Union of Students, Toni Pearce, said: "While some areas are performing better than others it's clear that those leaving education face ever greater competition for jobs."

This latest view of the graduate jobs market, based on 200 employers, suggests a mixed picture, with some recruitment areas getting tougher, while others are improving.

They were saying the same thing twenty years ago when I left university.

. The worst decision we ever made as a society was to let politicians actually run anything more sophisticated than a tap.

It's easy to sympathise, but that's democracy for you. Half the population are below average intelligence, and many of those are down right stupid and selfish. They all get to vote, and if you don't appeal to them you won't get into power.

Education good. More education, more gooder.