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Recent data reveals a dramatic decline in graduate job opportunities, showing nearly a 50% drop compared to last year. According to jobs platform Adzuna, there were only 8,383 graduate positions available in July, a significant decrease from 15,397 vacancies listed at the same time in the previous year. This trend highlights how companies are reducing entry-level roles, partly due to the increasing adoption of artificial intelligence and escalating operational costs.
Competition for jobs has intensified across the board, with Adzuna reporting an average of 2.14 applicants per vacancy in July, up from 1.93 the previous year. Employers have cited rising expenses linked to increased national insurance contributions and higher minimum wages, which particularly impact the hiring of junior roles. The current number of graduate vacancies is the lowest since Adzuna began tracking these figures in 2016. By comparison, 2017 marked the peak of graduate roles availability, with over 55,800 jobs posted—more than six times higher than the latest figures.
Andrew Hunter, co-founder of Adzuna, commented on the situation by noting, “employers still haven’t found a reason to open up hiring” for new graduates. Meanwhile, official statistics indicate that youth unemployment in the UK, defined as those aged 16 to 24, stood at 16.2% for the period ending March 2026. Additionally, over one million young people are not engaged in education, employment, or training. Many young job seekers have reported applying to hundreds of vacancies without receiving responses and have expressed concerns about the increased use of AI in screening applications.
Addressing the youth unemployment crisis, former government minister Alan Milburn is leading a significant review and has previously highlighted that entry-level and part-time roles—often held by students and teenagers—are becoming scarcer. Although some sectors like travel, teaching, and construction have seen a rise in job vacancies recently, areas such as healthcare, nursing, hospitality, and logistics have experienced a decrease. In response, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has implemented new requirements for public contract bidders to demonstrate how they will create jobs and training opportunities. A government spokesperson emphasized their commitment to young people, stating: “The latest figures show there are 253,000 more people in work than this time last year with unemployment continuing to fall.” They also pointed to a £2.5 billion youth employment program aimed at delivering nearly one million opportunities to either earn or learn
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