Graduate job vacancies drop by almost 50% in a year

Graduate job vacancies have plummeted by nearly 50% in the past year, according to new figures. Jobs website Adzuna reported listing just 8,383 graduate positions in July, a sharp decline from 15,397 vacancies at the same time last year. The surge in competition for these limited jobs saw an average of 2.14 job seekers per vacancy in July, up from 1.93 a year prior.

The drop in graduate roles has its roots in the increasing adoption of AI by employers and the burden of rising costs, particularly for junior staff. This worrying trend marks the lowest number of graduate vacancies since Adzuna began tracking the data in 2016, with the peak in 2017 seeing over 55,800 roles listed. Andrew Hunter, co-founder of Adzuna, highlighted that employers continue to lack a compelling reason to expand hiring for recent graduates.

Official data further reveals that the UK's youth unemployment rate, encompassing individuals aged 16-24, stood at 16.2% in the three months leading up to March 2026. Moreover, over a million young people are classified as not in education, employment, or training (Neet). Students have expressed frustration over applying for numerous jobs without receiving responses and the growing reliance on AI to screen applications.

With mounting student debt, the youth unemployment crisis has prompted former government minister Alan Milburn to lead a major review. He has previously pointed out the shrinking number of entry-level jobs and part-time positions typically filled by students. The Adzuna data also indicated a slight increase in vacancies for sectors like travel, teaching, and construction, but healthcare, nursing, hospitality, and logistics witnessed fewer opportunities.

Recently, Prime Minister Andy Burnham modified the rules for public contracts to require companies to demonstrate how they will generate job and training opportunities.