World of HR: Job openings for recent graduates in the UK are down 45% from 2025

It’s almost the end of summer, but many recent college graduates in the UK are still looking for work.

Where in the world? There were just 8,383 jobs for new graduates in the UK in July, down 45% from 2025, according to data from job match platform Adzuna. That’s the lowest number since the company started tracking vacancies in 2016.

Entry-level job openings were down 8.1% YoY, Business Insider reported, with those in the healthcare, hospitality, and logistics industries declining the most.

Indeed reported a similar trend in August, noting a 7% YoY decline in job listings for recent graduates, according to the outlet.

“Hiring demand is falling across most parts of ​the economy, while posted wage growth is gradually cooling,” Jack Kennedy, senior economist at Indeed, told Reuters. “That is particularly challenging ​for graduates and younger workers, who are competing for fewer ​opportunities to gain an initial foothold.”

Many employers have slowed hiring amid rising talent costs, economic uncertainty, and increased automation. Some are instead choosing to offshore jobs to cheaper labor markets, according to Business Insider, while others like EY and PwC are offering longer internships or trainee roles instead of jobs.

“The graduate job market also keeps setting new lows, which tells us employers still haven’t found a reason to open up hiring at that level,” Andrew Hunter, co-founder of Adzuna, told the Guardian. “It isn’t all bad news. Teaching, travel, and trade and construction are still adding roles, and manufacturing is now doing the same, too. But that’s a short list, and everyone outside of these sectors is having a harder time than they were three months ago.”

Satellite view. Recent graduates in the US have struggled to find work as well, according to an April report from ZipRecruiter.

While some recent graduates are finding jobs more quickly than in previous years, the competition for entry-level roles is increasing. The unemployment rate for new graduates in the US was 5.6% in December 2025, compared to 3.1% for all college-educated workers.

“The job market is terrible for this graduating class of students, and I think a big part of that is because of AI,” a recent Colgate University graduate told the Christian Science Monitor. “It’s very hard to differentiate yourself if you’re just submitting that résumé, because a lot of companies now use a form of artificial intelligence to really quickly screen the résumés...Even if you’re a qualified applicant, you can easily fall through the cracks.”