Prospects for new graduates and school leavers look bleak as the number of vacancies falls to the lowest level since Covid, say Blick Rothenberg’s Robert Salter.
He explained the Office for National Statistics (ONS)’s recently published data for the period to June 2026 shows the number of official vacancies has fallen to 707,000, with unemployment at 4.9%.”
Salter said: “Young people looking for a job rather than going to university or perhaps opting to extend their studies with a master’s degree will face a real challenge finding employment. Given that the jobs market is a reflection of the strength and weakness of the overall economy, many young people may feel that they have no alternative but to continue in education.”
He continued: “While this may be an excellent option in many cases, it also comes with real costs. Young people taking out student loans will face an effective ‘tax surcharge’ in the form of student loan repayments of 9% on all of their income above the £25,000 starting threshold for many years after they graduate.”
Salter point out that Andy Burnham is keen to increase the number of apprenticeships, but even if they increase the number of youth apprentices by 50,000 as they have promised, such numbers are unlikely to meaningfully change the wider jobs market overall. This is especially true for the one million young people between 16-24 are officially classified as Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEETs).
