Cost of hiring graduates shot up after Reeves’ tax raids Economics The cost of hiring graduates and other young Brits in entry-level roles increased by seven per cent in real terms after Chancellor Rachel Reeves hiked employers’ national insurance and raised the national living wage, economists have found. A new set of forecasts and analysis by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (Niesr) has [...]
Don’t blame universities for the graduate crisis Opinion Blaming universities for the graduate crisis is convenient, but it isn't true, writes Eliza Filby. Here's what's actually gone wrong.
The graduate crisis: hundreds of thousands sign on to welfare Opinion The myth is surely shattered; university is not a springboard into the future and a degree does not guarantee you a job. New analysis reveals that over 700,000 university graduates are out of work and claiming benefits. The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), which studied data from the Labour Force Survey and the Department for [...]
Jobless graduates claiming benefits totals 700,000, report says January 26, 2026 The number of unemployed graduates claiming benefits now totals 700,000, a new report has estimated, with blame being laid on the UK education system’s “obsession” with getting young people into university. Fresh analysis by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has found the number of jobless graduates receiving welfare support was nearing three quarters of [...]
2026 could be crisis year for UK’s graduate workforce January 20, 2026 This year could become a graduate abyss for the UK job market if AI skill shortages are not tackled, writes Rod Flavell.
Britain needs to ‘encourage enterprising entrepreneurs’ to kick-start economy October 22, 2025 Britain “needs to be a nation of shopkeepers once again” and “encourage enterprising entrepreneurs” to boost its economic prosperity, the chief executive of recruitment giant Reed has said. Speaking on an up-coming episode of City AM‘s Boardroom Uncovered podcast, James Reed said if he was Prime Minister for the day, he’d “make Britain a destination [...]
Why graduates face a brutal jobs market September 26, 2025 While students flung mortar boards in the air after receiving their degrees, not everyone had cause to celebrate. Graduation was supposed to be the golden ticket to a dream career: get a good degree at a good university, and jobs at professional service firms, banks and consultancies would be there for the taking. For many [...]
Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes are ‘taking Britain back to 1980s’ as investors turn their backs September 15, 2025 Britain’s jobs market is being hollowed out just like it was in the 1980s thanks in part to Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes, the chief executive of recruitment giant Reed has said, as the CBI warns the country is now seen as a less attractive place to invest than five years ago. James Reed said [...]
Parents forced to delay retirement to bankroll staggering university costs September 4, 2025 Over a third of UK parents are postponing retirement to fund their children’s university education. According to a new study from wealth manager Rathbones, parents expect to work an average of five years longer than initially planned to afford increasingly higher education costs. However, more than a quarter estimate they will need to extend their [...]
Hiking minimum wage as graduate pay stagnates is incentivising mediocrity August 27, 2025 Hiking the minimum wage as graduate salaries flatline is creating a system where ambition is no longer rewarded, writes Steve Rigby.