Key Takeaways
- UK Graduate Job Vacancies fell 45% year over year to 8,383 in July.
- Graduate jobs reached their lowest level since Adzuna began tracking in 2016.
- Teaching, travel, construction and manufacturing remained among the few sectors adding graduate roles.
UK employers advertised 8,383 graduate jobs in July, a 45.6% annual drop and the lowest level since 2016, as rising costs and AI reshape entry-level hiring.
Graduate Vacancies Fall To Lowest Level Since 2016
The figures from recruitment website Adzuna show a sharp deterioration in the market for university leavers. UK Graduate Job Vacancies fell from 15,397 in July 2025, while the number of available roles is now far below the more than 55,000 recorded at the market’s 2017 peak.
The decline comes as a record 262,820 people are expected to begin university in September, increasing concern about the gap between the number of graduates entering the workforce and the availability of entry-level jobs.
Andrew Hunter, co-founder of Adzuna, said July’s figures represented “a step backwards, not a blip.” He said the graduate market was continuing to set new lows because employers had not found enough reason to increase hiring at that level.
Competition is also increasing across the wider UK job market. Adzuna recorded an average of 2.14 jobseekers per vacancy in July, compared with 1.93 a year earlier.
Higher Costs And AI Pressure Entry-Level Hiring
Adzuna said several sectors, including health care, nursing, hospitality and logistics, recorded fewer vacancies for graduates. The recruitment website said the decline suggested an improvement seen earlier in the year had gone into reverse.
The decline in UK Graduate Job Vacancies is occurring as employers face higher labor costs following increases in national insurance contributions and the minimum wage. At the same time, some companies are directing investment toward automation and artificial intelligence rather than expanding entry-level hiring.
The pressure extends beyond recent graduates. The Office for National Statistics estimated that 1.012 million people aged 16 to 24 were not in education, employment or training between January and March 2026. That was an increase of 89,000 from the same period a year earlier.
The ONS said 13.5% of people aged 16 to 24 were in this group during the quarter, up from 12.5% a year earlier. The figures are classified as official statistics in development.
Teaching And Construction Offer Limited Bright Spots
Not every sector is cutting graduate opportunities. Adzuna said travel, teaching, trade and construction, and manufacturing were among the areas that increased hiring for university leavers in July.
“It isn’t all bad news,” Hunter said, pointing to those sectors as areas that were still adding roles. But he warned that the list remained short and that most other sectors were offering fewer opportunities than three months earlier.
The weak UK Graduate Job Vacancies market is adding pressure to efforts to improve youth employment through apprenticeships and technical education. The figures also come as UK economic growth continues, with the ONS estimating that gross domestic product increased 0.4% in the second quarter of 2026.
For graduates, however, the latest figures point to a more difficult transition from university into professional work, with fewer UK Graduate Job Vacancies and stronger competition for the roles that remain.
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