Key findings
- 58% of graduates expect AI to reduce graduate-level roles in the next 12 months.
- 34% of hiring managers expect the same.
- 27% of employers are reducing graduate hiring at all.
- Of those, 29% call AI a major factor. That is about 8% of all employers.
Do graduates think AI will cut graduate jobs?
Yes. Nearly six in ten UK graduates (58%) believe AI will reduce the number of graduate-level roles in the next 12 months.
Do employers agree?
A third do. 34% of hiring managers expect AI to reduce graduate roles over the same period. That is 24 points lower than graduates, though still a substantial minority.
Graduates are far more likely than employers to expect AI to cut roles
AI will reduce graduate-level roles in the next 12 months
View data
| Answer | % |
|---|---|
| Graduates | 58% |
| Hiring managers | 34% |
Are employers cutting graduate jobs because of AI?
A small number are. Just over a quarter of employers (27%) say they are reducing graduate hiring. When we asked that group why, 29% called AI a major factor.
Multiply the two and about 8% of all employers are reducing graduate hiring with AI as a major reason.
About 8% of employers are cutting graduate hiring mainly because of AI
View data
| Answer | % |
|---|---|
| All employers | 100% |
| Reducing graduate hiring | 27% |
| Reducing graduate hiring, with AI a major factor | 8% |
How big is the gap between expectation and reality?
Large. 58% of graduates expect AI-driven cuts. 8% of employers are making them.
Will AI cut graduate jobs?
Does that mean graduates are wrong?
Not entirely. Three cautions apply.
First, 27% of employers reducing graduate hiring is a real contraction, whatever the cause. A graduate facing fewer vacancies is not comforted by the reason.
Second, a third of hiring managers also expect AI to reduce roles. Expectation can become a plan.
Third, this measures decisions already taken. It does not measure roles that were never created because a team found it could manage without.
What the data does show is that, today, AI is a minor stated reason for cutting graduate jobs, and that graduates believe it is the major one.
What this means
Fear is running ahead of the facts, and it is changing behaviour. One in three graduates has changed or seriously reconsidered their career path over AI.
For employers, there is an advantage in being specific. If you are hiring the same number of graduates as last year, or more, say so. In a market where most candidates expect cuts, a clear statement of intent is a recruitment message.
For universities and careers services, the gap is a briefing problem. Graduates are choosing sectors and roles on a belief that most employers don't share.
Frequently asked questions
Is AI reducing graduate jobs in the UK?
For a small share of employers. About 8% of UK employers are reducing graduate hiring with AI as a major factor, according to The Reality Department.
How many employers are cutting graduate hiring?
27% of UK hiring managers say their organisation is reducing graduate hiring.
Do graduates think AI will take their jobs?
58% of UK graduates expect AI to reduce graduate-level roles in the next 12 months.
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. Fieldwork: August 2026. The reasons question was asked of the 68 employers reducing graduate hiring.
Related: Graduates think the robots are already hiring
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