Unpaid work experience costs UK students and graduate job seekers £214m a year

Students and graduates doing unpaid work experience have lost out on £214m in wages in the last year.

The graduate job search is becoming increasingly difficult in the face of recession and record levels of competition, making experience an increasingly important factor. As such, 1 in 5 students have done an unpaid work placement in the last 12 months. This adds up to 44,500,000 man-hours worked for free, saving employers £214m pounds according to recent research commissioned by www.studentgems.com. Not only does this leave students out of pocket, it's also illegal as the law states that the national minimum wage must be paid for any kind of work.

Relevant work experience is one of the best ways to improve your CV and make you more attractive to employers, but you don't need to become a slave to get it. Sue Harrison, co-founder of studentgems.com says: "Simply put, if you have the skills, there are employers who want to hear from you who won’t rip you off."

It's the graduate jobseeker's catch 22 - employers aren't interested if you don't have experience, but without a job how can you get it? One way to make use of your skills, build experience and get paid a fair wage is to sign up to www.studentgems.com. This free site allows you to advertise your skills to prospective employers, search for paid roles posted by employers and contact them in a safe and secure way - allowing you to boost your CV and earn some decent cash while doing it.

You can find out more about your employment rights on the government's website.