One signal

UK graduate job adverts fell 43% year on year to 7,826 in September, the lowest level since Adzuna began tracking them in 2016, according to Resultsense’s account of figures reported by This Is Money.

Adzuna’s data does not explain the drop. Resultsense also cites a Reed survey in which more than half of hiring managers said AI was cutting opportunities, alongside concerns about rising employment costs. That makes AI one possible pressure, not a proven cause of the vacancy decline. The figures are a sharp signal for new graduates, but adverts are not hires and one month cannot separate lasting change from short-term pressures.

Discuss: How much evidence should employers need before they blame AI, rather than costs or a weaker jobs market, for fewer entry-level roles?

Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.