Kenneth Glad
The route into professional work has become harder for many young applicants. A degree alone is no longer enough to make an application stand out. With fewer openings and more candidates chasing them, practical experience, careful applications and direct contact with employers are taking on new importance.
For many UK graduates, the first step into work now looks less like a doorway and more like a bottleneck.
The Daily Mail reports, citing figures from Adzuna, a UK job search engine that tracks advertised vacancies, that graduate job adverts have fallen sharply.
In September 2016, there were 49,069 graduate vacancies. By September 2025, that number had dropped to 13,754.
Andrew Hunter, Adzuna’s co-founder, described it to the Daily Mail as the hardest graduate market he had seen.
Fewer roles are drawing bigger crowds
The problem is not only the number of jobs. Institute of Student Employers figures showed graduate vacancies attracted an average of 140 applicants each in 2025. In retail, consumer goods and tourism, the figure was 290.
The same reporting said more than one million people completed undergraduate, postgraduate or diploma courses in 2023-24, leaving a larger pool of graduates competing for fewer entry-level roles.
For an individual applicant, that means a strong degree may simply get them into the pile rather than move them to the top.
According to the British newspaper, artificial intelligence is affecting both sides of recruitment. Candidates can send applications quickly, while employers use automated screening tools to manage the surge.
Sally Wynter, founder of Hunch, told the paper that these systems often scan a CV for wording that reflects the skills and qualities listed in the job advert.
That makes a generic CV risky. Graduates should tailor each version, use accurate keywords from the role description, and back up claims with evidence, such as numbers, responsibilities or results.
Experience can come from ordinary jobs
Stephen Isherwood from the Institute of Student Employers told the Daily Mail:
“Everybody will have roughly the same academic credentials. So that’s not the differentiator. To stand out, you need employability skills.”
Part-time work, volunteering and student societies can all help if they are presented clearly. A bar shift, a society role or a student sports account can show customer service, organisation, communication or commercial awareness.
The practical next step is to turn each experience into proof: what you did, what changed, and what result followed.
Several specialists urged graduates not to rely only on advertised jobs. Direct contact with people inside companies can help a candidate become visible before a vacancy formally appears.
LinkedIn was also highlighted as a way to stay in touch with employers, alumni and recruiters after internships, events or careers fairs.
For graduates facing silence after dozens of applications, the lesson is clear: apply selectively, tailor every CV, keep building skills and look for real conversations, not just online forms.
Sources: Daily Mail; Adzuna, Institute of Student Employers
