UK jobs steady but graduate tech hiring tight
Government figures show the UK labour market remains broadly steady while wage growth cools — but hiring for numerate, coding‑proficient graduates (Python, C++) still outpaces the wider market, especially in London and Manchester reported and reported. Firms are growing more selective; demonstrable projects and internships now matter as much as grades.
Employment stood at about 34.24 million in October–December 2025, per the Commons Library briefing. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) Unemployment rose to roughly 1.88 million and the headline unemployment rate reached 5.2% in early 2026. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) HMRC pay‑as‑you‑earn estimates show payrolled employees fell by about 155,000 between November 2024 and November 2025. (ons.gov.uk) Vacancies were reported around 726,000 in November 2025–January 2026, while nominal regular pay grew ~4.2% year‑on‑year and real pay rose about 0.7% in the three months to December 2025. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) Market signals for numerate graduates diverge: Totaljobs listed roughly 4,225 graduate Python roles across the UK in recent listings, and Glassdoor showed about 246 quantitative‑developer vacancies in London in March 2026. (totaljobs.com) Manchester is a focal point too—High Fliers placed the University of Manchester as the most‑targeted institution in its Graduate Market in 2026 report, and job boards showed on the order of 70–80 Python vacancies in Manchester alongside a mid‑teens count of quant/quant‑analyst openings. (manchester.ac.uk) Hiring processes are tightening: REC’s 2026 Talent Trends update found 42.6% of candidate drop‑off happens at technical assessment stages and reported flexibility influenced 24% of offer acceptances. (rec-hub.com) Employers are explicitly prioritising demonstrable experience—NACE/Job Outlook and High Fliers highlight experiential learning as a key differentiator, investment banks signalled plans for about 2,365 graduate hires in 2026, and programmes like NatWest’s Data Science graduate scheme advertise London starting pay near £52,000 with a 2:1 STEM requirement as a common baseline. (naceweb.org)
