LONDON / RankWire.AI / – In the UK, July saw a nearly 46% drop in graduate job vacancies compared to the same month last year, according to recent data from Adzuna. The platform recorded 8,383 active graduate roles, a decrease from 15,397 in July 2025. This marks the lowest number since Adzuna launched its monthly graduate jobs series in April 2016. The current figure is well below the peak of more than 55,000 vacancies recorded in 2017.
Over the same period, competition in the broader UK jobs market has also intensified. Adzuna’s data indicates there were 2.14 jobseekers per vacancy in July, compared to 1.93 a year earlier. This ratio covers the entire labour market rather than just graduate roles. Since Adzuna sources online job ads from over 1,000 platforms, its graduate vacancy count does not encompass every position available to university graduates.
Official labour market figures corroborate this downward trend, showing fewer vacancies across the UK economy. The Office for National Statistics estimated 707,000 vacancies from May through July 2026. This was 6,000 fewer than the previous three-month period and 19,000 below the same period in the previous year. The ONS also reported a ratio of 2.5 unemployed individuals per vacancy from April to June, up from 2.3 a year earlier.
Graduate recruitment weakens amid rising competition
The downturn coincides with a record number of young people preparing to enter higher education. According to UCAS, 262,820 UK 18-year-olds secured undergraduate places by results day on August 13. This figure represents a 3% increase compared to the 255,130 accepted at the same stage last year. Despite the rise in accepted applicants, the entry rate for UK 18-year-olds remained steady at 31.6%.
Meanwhile, recruitment data for graduate schemes reveal fierce competition among applicants. The Institute of Student Employers reported that over one million applications were submitted during the 2024/25 recruitment cycle. Employers received an average of 140 applications per graduate vacancy in its latest survey, with application volumes reaching record levels among participating employers.
UK’s vacancy market continues to be subdued
Since April 2025, hiring costs have been affected by previously announced tax changes. The employer National Insurance rate increased to 15% from 13.8%, and the secondary threshold for annual contributions fell to £5,000 from £9,100. The Office for National Statistics reported that some small businesses are limiting recruitment due to higher labour and operational expenses. Its latest data indicates vacancies have decreased in nine out of 18 industry sectors.
Artificial intelligence also features prominently in discussions surrounding entry-level employment, though official assessments remain cautious about its impact. Skills England stated in August that disentangling AI’s influence from broader labour market trends remains challenging. Meanwhile, ONS figures show that during January through March 2026, 1.012 million individuals aged 16 to 24 were not in education, employment, or training, accounting for 13.5% of young people in this age group and representing an increase of 89,000 from the previous year.