LONDON / RankWire.AI / – According to recent data from Adzuna, UK graduate job vacancies saw a drop of almost 46% in July compared to the same month last year. The platform reported 8,383 active graduate positions, down from 15,397 in July 2025. This is the lowest number since Adzuna launched its monthly graduate jobs series in April 2016. The current total is well below the peak of over 55,000 vacancies recorded in 2017.
At the same time, competition within the broader UK jobs market grew. Adzuna’s data shows there were 2.14 jobseekers for each vacancy in July, compared to 1.93 a year earlier. This figure covers the overall labour market, not just graduate roles. Since Adzuna pulls online job ads from more than 1,000 sources, its graduate count does not include every available university leaver position.
Official labour statistics also reflect a decrease in vacancies across the UK. The Office for National Statistics estimated 707,000 openings from May to July 2026. That is 6,000 fewer than the previous three months and 19,000 less than the same period last year. The ONS also reported that there were 2.5 unemployed people per vacancy from April to June, up from 2.3 a year earlier.
Graduate recruitment weakens amid rising competition
The decrease in vacancies coincides with a record number of young people preparing for higher education. UCAS announced that 262,820 UK 18-year-olds had secured undergraduate places by results day on August 13. This is a 3% increase from the 255,130 accepted at the same stage last year. Despite more accepted applicants, the entry rate for UK 18-year-olds stayed steady at 31.6%.
Other data sources show fierce competition for well-established graduate schemes. The Institute of Student Employers noted that participating employers received just over one million graduate applications during the 2024/25 recruitment cycle. Employers reported an average of 140 applications per vacancy. The organization said application numbers remained at record levels among the companies it surveyed.
UK’s broader vacancy market remains muted
Since April 2025, hiring costs have shifted due to new tax policies. The employer National Insurance rate increased from 13.8% to 15%. Meanwhile, the secondary threshold for annual contributions dropped from £9,100 to £5,000. The ONS reports that small businesses are holding back on recruitment because of higher labour and operational costs. Its latest data shows vacancies declined in nine out of 18 industry sectors.
AI technology remains a key topic in discussions about entry-level employment, though official assessments are cautious. Skills England stated in August that it’s challenging to separate AI’s impact from wider labour market trends. Additionally, the ONS revealed that 1.012 million people aged 16 to 24 were neither in education, employment, nor training from January to March 2026. This represented 13.5% of young people in that age group, an increase of 89,000 from the previous year.