The number of graduate job vacancies in the United Kingdom dropped by about half over the past year. Job search company Adzuna reported that there were 8,383 graduate jobs advertised in July 2026. This is a 45.6% fall from the 15,397 jobs available at the same time in 2025, which is the lowest number since Adzuna started recording in 2016.

The main reason for this big drop is that many companies are now using artificial intelligence, or AI, to do simple tasks. Businesses like accounting firms PwC and Deloitte are hiring fewer new graduates because these tasks used to be done by junior workers.

Because of this change, competition for each graduate job has increased. There are now more than two job seekers for every available position, making it much harder for recent graduates in the UK to find their first job.