A generation risks being put off university just when we need graduates most Opinion Current public debate, with headlines about student debt, graduate underemployment and a supposedly collapsing graduate jobs market risk the impression that university is no longer a worthwhile investment When Daniela Amodei, co-founder of world-leading AI firm Anthropic, was asked recently whether she regretted her English literature degree, her answer was unequivocal: no. In fact, she [...]
Graduates are the canary in the coalmine for a failing welfare system Opinion The welfare state is a Ponzi scheme that’s dependent on an ever shrinking cohort of taxpayers, says Anne Strickland Discussion about student loan unfairness has dominated the headlines over the last month, after a freeze in the repayment thresholds led to a backlash about the student loan system in general. With fiscal drag pulling more [...]
Graduate jobs crisis: Here’s who is actually still hiring in 2026 Business The job market is looking bleak. For recent graduates it’s not just a downturn, but a great big wall blocking off access to an early career. But in a vicious, Darwinian struggle for a meagre handful of jobs, there could still be advantages for grads. The whippersnapper hiring slowdown is a many-headed beast, but the [...]
Job vacancies at lowest level since 2021 as London worst affected February 23, 2026 The UK’s job market took another hit after total vacancies fell to the lowest level since 2021, with London the region facing the biggest drop in open roles. The number of jobs advertised plummeted 16 per cent year-on-year to January, dipping below 700,000 for the first time since January 2021, according to job search platform [...]
The Debate: Should student loan debt be forgiven? February 4, 2026 Student loans are under the spotlight, with those who took out plans between 2012 and 2023 feeling the bite. Should student debt (or some of it) be forgiven?
Cost of hiring graduates shot up after Reeves’ tax raids February 4, 2026 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 January 30, 2026 Blaming universities for the graduate crisis is convenient, but it isn't true, writes Eliza Filby. Here's what's actually gone wrong.
Graduate crisis proves British universities are no longer fit for purpose January 28, 2026 It's time to accept that a substantial proportion of British universities are simply not fit for purpose, writes Paul Ormerod.
The graduate crisis: hundreds of thousands sign on to welfare January 27, 2026 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 [...]