Key findings
- 75% of graduates believe employers often use AI to shortlist candidates. 40% of hiring managers say they use it anywhere in CV screening.
- 58% of graduates expect AI to reduce graduate roles in the next 12 months. About 8% of employers attribute a current reduction mainly to AI.
- 64% of graduates say employers are not doing enough to prepare them for an AI workplace. 24% of hiring managers agree.
- 50% of hiring managers say this year's graduates are better prepared than previous cohorts. 22% of graduates agree.
Why ask both sides the same questions?
Because everyone has an opinion on AI and graduate jobs, and almost nobody has measured the distance between the two groups it affects. We used a mirrored questionnaire: hiring managers and graduates answered matching questions, so every gap could be measured directly.
Where do graduates and employers disagree?
On four things.
Screening. Three in four graduates think AI shortlisting is routine. Two in five hiring managers report using AI in CV screening at all. Read more.
Job cuts. Most graduates expect AI to shrink the graduate market this year. A third of hiring managers think the same, and far fewer are acting on it. Read more.
Preparation. Nearly two-thirds of graduates say employers aren't doing enough to prepare them. A quarter of hiring managers agree. Read more.
Readiness. Half of hiring managers think this cohort is better prepared than the last. Only a fifth of graduates feel that way about themselves.
The gaps between what graduates believe and what employers say
- Graduates
- Hiring managers
The first row compares what graduates believe with what employers report doing.
View data
| Measure | Graduates | Hiring managers | Gap (points) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employers use AI to screen CVs | 75% | 40% | 35 |
| AI will reduce graduate roles in the next 12 months | 58% | 34% | 24 |
| Employers are not doing enough to prepare graduates for AI | 64% | 24% | 39 |
| This year’s graduates are better prepared than previous cohorts | 22% | 50% | 28 |
Is AI use evenly spread across employers?
No. Just over half of employers (53%) say graduate research tasks are now AI-assisted. In technology, 93% already use AI in graduates' day-to-day admin.
AI in graduate work depends heavily on sector
View data
| Answer | % |
|---|---|
| All employers: graduate research tasks are AI-assisted | 53% |
| Technology employers: AI used in graduates’ day-to-day admin | 93% |
What this means
Graduates are making decisions on a picture of the market that employers don't recognise. A third have changed or seriously reconsidered their career path over AI. Many are optimising CVs for an algorithm that, in most cases, isn't reading them.
Employers have a different blind spot. They think they are preparing graduates well and that this cohort is ready. The cohort disagrees on both counts.
For anyone running graduate recruitment or early-careers marketing, the fix starts with saying what you do. If you don't use AI to screen, tell applicants. If you do, tell them how. Silence is being filled with the worst assumption.
Frequently asked questions
Is AI being used to hire graduates?
40% of UK hiring managers say they use AI somewhere in CV screening, according to The Reality Department. 75% of graduates believe employers often use it to shortlist.
Is AI reducing graduate jobs?
58% of graduates expect it to. About 8% of employers attribute a current reduction in graduate hiring mainly to AI.
Do employers think graduates are ready for AI?
50% of hiring managers say this year's graduates are better prepared than previous cohorts. Only 22% of graduates agree.
Methodology
The Reality Department surveyed 250 UK hiring managers involved in graduate hiring at organisations with 50 or more UK employees, and 250 UK graduates who are graduating soon or recently graduated. Both groups answered mirrored questions. Fieldwork: August 2026.
Want a mirrored study in your own sector? Work with us.