Overview
- Adzuna’s July data showed advertised graduate vacancies fell about 45% year‑on‑year to 8,383, the lowest level since the series began in 2016 and roughly 85% below the mid‑2017 peak.
- Officials and industry cite two main proximate causes: higher employer labour costs, including rises in employer National Insurance and minimum wage rates, and firms using AI to automate administrative tasks once done by junior staff.
- The wider jobs market is weakening with total vacancies down to about 791,490 in July and competition rising to 2.14 jobseekers per vacancy, while the typical advertised graduate salary sat near £25,813.
- The government has pledged a £2.5 billion youth employment package to create almost one million 'earn or learn' opportunities and has committed to follow the Milburn review ahead of the Chancellor’s October Budget.
- Young people face rising pressure now that a record cohort of 18‑year‑olds is entering higher education and employers are trimming traditional graduate intakes, a dynamic that could lengthen job searches and shift how firms hire entry‑level talent.