Graduate jobs: Why there's every reason to feel optimistic

If you've been following headlines about the graduate job market, it's easy to feel uncertain. News articles about fewer vacancies, artificial intelligence (AI), and increased competition can make it seem as though finding a graduate career is becoming harder. AI is certainly increasing the number of applications per role, and employers are having to think fast to adjust their recruitment and assessment processes accordingly. Methods recruiters used before 2024 don’t really work anymore.

But every generation of graduates enters a changing world of work, and today's graduates have exciting opportunities to shape the future. The graduate job market isn't disappearing—it's weakened, but it’s also evolving. Employers are still looking for graduates who can think creatively, solve problems, work collaboratively, and embrace new technologies. These are exactly the skills you'll develop throughout your university journey.

In a recent article for Prospects Luminate, Charlie Ball, Head of Jiscs’ Labour Market Intelligence, tells us that Adzuna’s (a large jobs platform) data “says jobs stand at 8,383 graduate vacancies listed in July, down from 15,397 at the same point last year. 15,397 is probably somewhere between 5% and 10% of all jobs graduates got last year, so Adzuna has only ever captured a small, unrepresentative sample of graduate vacancies and now that proportion is an unknown amount smaller.”

The opportunities are there. During the 2025/26 academic year, Careers and Employability advertised 4,726 graduate roles, many with multiple vacancies. That's a 5% increase on the previous year, demonstrating that employers continue to invest in graduate talent, but be mindful that graduate schemes open in the autumn for applications and are closing earlier, so the window to apply is shorter. Get yourself familiar with MyCareer now; it’s your one-stop destination to find graduate roles, internships, part-time and volunteering opportunities and events run by Careers and Employability. 

What is true is that there is more competition for each role, so it’s also worth thinking beyond the traditional graduate scheme. While large organisations often offer structured training programmes and clear development pathways, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can provide broader responsibilities, quicker recruitment processes, earlier exposure to decision-making and, often, less competition for each vacancy. Keeping an open mind can significantly increase your opportunities.

If you're hoping to stay in the local area after graduation, our free in-house Graduate Recruitment Consultancy works closely with regional employers to connect graduates with high-quality opportunities. Last year, the team sourced nearly 300 graduate-level roles for our final-year students and recent graduates to apply to, and they’ll help negotiate your starting salary!

What employers are telling us is that they are searching for well-rounded candidates. Your time at university is about far more than gaining academic knowledge. It's an opportunity to build confidence, discover your strengths, develop valuable workplace skills and gain experiences that will help you stand out. Every placement, volunteering role, society, part-time job, networking event and new connection adds to your employability. Reflect on what you have learnt, the new skills you have acquired and how they relate to what a potential employer is looking for. What experiences have helped build your resilience? What challenges have improved your problem-solving skills, for example?

A common myth we hear from students is that there are not enough relevant roles for them at our annual Careers and Placement Fair, and that simply isn’t true. 55% of employers attending our fair are seeking graduates from any degree discipline to recruit into a variety of roles. A History graduate can apply to a Marketing Consultancy, and Finance and Accounting graduates do work for Engineering Companies. To make things easier for students this year, we will be asking those employers who fall into this category to display a purple helium balloon on their stand so that students can easily visualise who they should be approaching.

And if you want to get ahead of the game, the earlier you engage with Careers and Employability, the more you'll benefit. Recent graduate feedback shows that those who made use of our support reported greater confidence, stronger applications and better progression through recruitment processes. Graduates who secured positive outcomes often highlighted the value of engaging with Careers and Employability early in their studies. Many also said they wished they'd made use of the service sooner. So come along with a friend to the Careers and Placement Fair, watch one of our videos, drop in and get your CV reviewed, attend a workshop, and if you feel you don’t know where to start, come in and have a chat with us.

Whether you're just starting your degree or preparing for your final year, now is the perfect time to invest in your future. Explore opportunities, build your experience, ask for support, and stay open to different career paths. The future of work belongs to graduates who are curious, adaptable, and willing to keep learning—and with the right preparation, there's every reason to be optimistic about where your degree can take you.