Employers are still actively involved in graduate recruitment this year, a new survey has found.

Of the 124 companies that responded to a poll by the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR), one in three are still actively seeking applications from graduates in 2009.

However, 60 per cent of respondents said they had amended their target number of graduate recruits downwards since the latest recruitment drive began in October 2008.

Carl Gilleard, chief executive of the AGR, said it is vital university leavers looking for jobs do not assume there are no jobs whatsoever.

"As today’s snapshot survey shows [..] not all [recruiters] have shut up shop by any means and a very significant number are still looking for bright graduates to take on," he added.

Meanwhile, Dan Hawes, co-founder of the Graduate Recruitment Bureau, has previously warned graduates looking for jobs about having public profiles on social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.