Sean Brophy | The graduate job market is grim right now – but the data says university is still worth it
June 7, 2026
Sean Brophy | The graduate job market is grim right now – but the data says university is still worth it
Spend ten minutes talking to a soon-to-be graduate about their job search and you might come away convinced that a university degree has become a confidence trick.
The class of 2025 spent the better part of a year sending hundreds of applications for a handful of replies. The class of 2026 is now graduating into the same market and reporting similar experiences. Employers have warned of falls in entry-level hiring. The recent British Social Attitudes survey has found that a third of people surveyed thought that a degree “just isn’t worth the amount of time and money”.
The class of 2025 spent the better part of a year sending hundreds of applications for a handful of replies. The class of 2026 is now graduating into the same market and reporting similar experiences. Employers have warned of falls in entry-level hiring. The recent British Social Attitudes survey has found that a third of people surveyed thought that a degree “just isn’t worth the amount of time and money”.
