Toughest Graduate Job Market in a Decade – Opportunity Still Exists

Are you graduating this year?

If you’re graduating this year, you’ve probably heard the headlines — and they’re largely true. The UK graduate jobs market in 2026 is the most demanding it has been in over a decade.

According to High Fliers Research, graduate recruitment at the UK’s top one hundred employers has fallen by almost a quarter since 2022 — a steeper decline than during the pandemic or the 2008–09 recession. Adzuna reported just 8,383 graduate vacancies advertised in July 2026, a 45% year-on-year drop and the lowest on record. The Institute of Student Employers recorded a record 140 applications per vacancy. Competition has rarely been fiercer.

So that’s the bad news. Here’s the good news: most graduates can still find work, and some employers are still hiring, looking for exactly the qualities that make someone successful in recruitment — drive, resilience, communication and a willingness to learn. One of those employers is Next Ventures.

We’re still hiring graduates.

Next Ventures is an award-winning, global technology recruitment business headquartered in London, with offices across Europe, the US, India and Brazil. We supply specialist technology talent to large enterprise clients around the world, and our SAP Practice is one of the largest specialist SAP recruitment teams in Europe. We’re growing — and we build our future consultants and leaders from within.

That’s why, despite the wider market, we’re running our Next Step Academy graduate training programme with intakes in September and November 2026, and we’re taking applications now.

Unlike many graduate schemes, ours doesn’t ask you to work for free to prove yourself. From day one you’ll be:

 

Who we’re looking for

We don’t mind what you studied. We care how you think. We’re looking for graduates who are target-motivated, resilient, strong communicators and genuinely keen to learn. Recruitment is tough — it’s a sales role at heart, and it takes grit — but for those who apply themselves, the financial and career rewards are exceptional, and they come faster than in almost any other graduate path.

A market that rewards adaptability

The graduates who do best in 2026 aren’t necessarily the ones with the most impressive degrees. They’re the ones who adapt — who learn new skills, who are willing to work hard, and who choose industries and employers that are still growing. Technology recruitment is one of them: the world’s enterprises still need specialist technology talent, and the firms that can find it are more valuable than ever.

If you’re looking for a genuine opportunity in a tough market, our Next Step Academy graduate training programme is open for applications — for both the September and November intakes. Places fill fast.

Apply now.

Apply here and let us know why you would be a great fit. APPLY HERE