The UK graduate job market is facing its most difficult job period in more than a decade, according to new reports, with leading employers cutting recruitment while technology-driven roles expand.
Graduate hiring at the country’s top 100 employers slumped by 14.6% in 2024, the steepest annual fall since the financial crisis of 2009, according to High Fliers Research.
More than 6,000 planned vacancies were scrapped by the country’s top graduate employers.
According to a recent ‘The Times’ report, PwC reduced its graduate intake by 200 roles, a 13% drop. Vacancies have now fallen for a fourth consecutive year and are projected to reach their lowest level since 2012.
Competition for jobs has intensified sharply. Applications rose by 28% year-on-year, with some employers reporting double the number of candidates compared to 2024.
At the same time, starting salaries have continued to climb, with the median now at £35,000, rising to £60,000 for investment banking and £56,000 at law firms.
While traditional graduate opportunities are shrinking, technology is fuelling new career paths, according to separate research.
A report by LiveCareer identifies AI prompt engineers, cybersecurity analysts and technology ethicists as among the UK’s fastest-growing roles in 2025. Salaries for AI specialists already range from £40,000 to £73,000, placing them well above the median starting salary for graduates in other sectors.
Other in-demand roles include sustainability managers, climate data analysts and remote patient monitoring specialists – fields where digital skills and data expertise are essential.
It reported that the labour market forecasts that the UK will need 1.9 million additional professionals in science, technology, engineering and mathematics by 2035. Green jobs are expanding at almost four times the pace of the broader economy, now making up more than 2% of newly created roles.
