Graduates looking for work have been told to find local jobs first to get on the career ladder.

Data has suggested competition for graduate jobs is at a record high with some big, recognised UK firms reducing the number of places on graduate schemes.

But employers and a graduate recruitment expert have reassured university leavers that jobs are available, just maybe not in the UK’s major cities.

UK government forecasts suggest the UK workforce will need 11 million extra graduates by 2035​.

Almost 950,000 people graduated from university last year, according to official figures, but after leaving education, some have struggled to get the job they want.

One graduate told the BBC she almost felt like giving up hope of finding employment and applied for 647 jobs before eventually getting one.

Figures from the Institute of Student Employers shows that competition for graduate jobs has reached a record high, with a 15% rise in applications.

Recruiter Reed told The Times the number of graduate roles it advertised was down 70% on this time two years ago as major companies such as Deloitte and KPMG have reduced the number of places on graduate schemes.

Grant Thornton, among the UK’s top 100 graduate employers, said it used to take from September to Easter to hire new graduates but now most jobs are filled by the new year.

“What we’re seeing now is that those early applications are higher than they’ve ever been before,” Richard Waite, the company’s director of people, told the BBC.

The firm, which has 20 UK offices in places such as London, Glasgow, Cardiff and Manchester, had more than 17,000 applications for 420 graduate roles in 2025.

“If you’ve got five roles, you don’t want 1,000 candidates applying,” he added.

“You know when you’ve got a certain number that you close that down to new applications.

“The marketplace is tough and you need to be on it early and apply as soon as possible to be in with the best chance.”

The wider UK jobs market has also been affected as vacancies fell and the number of people on payrolls dropped.

Recruiters feel while graduates may swamp big employers with applications, some regional companies say they face a “skills shortage” in some sectors because of a lack of applicants.

One public sector organisation in south Wales has told the BBC that while they’re inundated with applications for roles like in HR or communications, attracting graduates for “specialist” roles had been challenging.

“When we’ve tried to recruit for finance we’ve had less applications or the level of qualification isn’t quite there,” said Julie Stokes of Cardiff Capital Region, a body that works with south Wales’ 10 local authorities.

Instead of applying for professions at smaller and less-established companies, Ms Stokes feels that graduates are focusing all their efforts on big, multinational companies.

“Graduates are looking to join those big organisations that can expose them to lots of opportunities both developmental and within their portfolios,” she added.

“But the advice I’d say to graduates is look at all organisations, even those that are relatively new.”

One specialist graduate recruitment agency hosts job exhibition to put graduates in front of companies that need to fill professional roles to “show that the opportunities are out there”.

“We speak to employers who say ‘we need more applications, we’re not getting enough,” said event organiser Owain James of graduate recruitment firm Darogan.

“Not because the opportunities aren’t good, but because they just aren’t as well known as an employer and maybe young people struggle to find those opportunities.”

About 500 people attended a recent Darogan recruitment event in Cardiff with one independent careers support body saying creative industries, business and tech are the UK’s biggest growth areas and will need more graduates.

Careers Wales has also told the BBC that life sciences, which include roles within biomedical sciences and microbiology, and the energy industry are seen as the biggest growing sector in Wales.

“There’s been a lot of maybe doom and gloom about the prospects of a graduate,” added Mr James.

“There is still a lot of early talent opportunities out there and there are companies who still want to invest in young people.

“For me it’s less about the industry than maybe how well established you are within that industry.”

One company at the graduate recruitment fair is construction firm Knights Brown and they have two recent starters who are working on energy projects near their home in south Wales.

“For me, it’s more being around my family and friends,” said 22-year-old Neave Davies who is working near her home town in Caerphilly county after graduating as an engineer at Swansea University.

“After working away in university, I really wanted to come back home and stay within Caerphilly and also be able to build things at home and help the communities that I’m also a part of.

“My grandpa was always a builder, so I’ve always really enjoyed the building aspects and being outside, and through school I just enjoyed maths and physics.”

She works alongside quantity surveyor Jack Little, who combined an apprenticeship with a degree at the University of South Wales and now “luckily” works five minutes from his house.

“You can work on projects that you can relate to, and come to work and feel proud knowing you’re delivering something for the community and everyone will benefit from, and you can say I had something to do with that job right there,” he said.