UK advertised job vacancies fall to five-year low as competition rises
Feb 23rd 2026
Adzuna data shows advertised vacancies fell to 695,000 in January, with graduate roles under 10,000 and jobseekers per vacancy rising as unemployment ticks up.
- Advertised vacancies fell 3% in January to 695,000, the first time below 700,000 since January 2021.
- Vacancies are down about 16% year on year and nearly 20% compared with six months earlier.
- Graduate jobs dropped below 10,000 for the first time since Adzuna began tracking them in 2016.
- Official data shows overall unemployment rose to 5.2% and unemployment for 18 to 24 year olds reached 14% in late 2025.
- Competition increased to 2.4 jobseekers per vacancy, up from 2.27 in December, with London seeing the sharpest monthly fall of almost 6%.
- Firms cite higher labour costs from recent national insurance and minimum wage changes and a shift to automation and AI, while advertised salaries rose to £43,289, almost 6% higher than a year ago and above 3% inflation.