Universities have been urged to do more to support graduates from disadvantaged backgrounds to secure jobs after new figures showed declining numbers of state-educated, working-class and ethnic-minority applicants?being hired. ?

A report by researchers at UCL¡¯s Institute of Education and published on 25 June has found that inequalities in access to professional occupations increased between 2023 and 2024 across graduate jobs, internships and apprenticeships for diverse candidates from under-represented groups.

The paper, , evaluated hiring and applicant data from the top 17 UK employers and says that ¡°the picture is worsening over time as competition for places increased to record high levels¡±.

¡°When labour markets become more competitive, young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and underrepresented groups are disproportionately impacted, exacerbating inequalities,¡± the report says.?

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Privately educated applicants were 20 per cent more likely to receive a job offer than similarly-able state-educated students in 2024, a 7 per cent year-on-year rise. In particular, white privately educated applicants were 21 per cent more likely to receive an offer than white state-educated applicants, and 32 per cent more likely to secure an offer than ethnic-minority state-educated applicants.

Around half of the gap in graduate job offer rates for those from working-class backgrounds occurs when they reach face-to-face assessments with employers, while black applicants were 37 per cent less likely to pass online applications or online testing stages than their comparable white peers.

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Lindsey Macmillan, lead author of the report and director of the Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities, said while employers were ¡°fully engaged with the social mobility agenda, these new findings show just how much tougher it is to ensure a diverse workforce when competition for jobs increases¡±.

¡°While graduate vacancy growth rates have slowed, application rates have soared for these programmes, making them all the more competitive. We know from existing evidence that young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and ethnic-minority groups are at the back of the line when this happens. Employers need to have a laser-sharp focus on their EDI priorities in the face of these challenges.¡±

The report warns that it was important to be ¡°particularly vigilant about diversity across the recruitment process when competition for places is higher¡± and recommends that employers be more ¡°proactive in managing the adverse impact for underrepresented groups who are more likely to lose out as competition increases¡±.?

Employers seeking a diverse workforce should question whether recruiting predominantly from Russell Group universities is ¡°sustainable¡±, it adds.

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¡°While targeted outreach can improve representation, expanding recruitment to high-potential candidates from non-Russell Group universities can widen the talent pool, reduce competition for low socio-economic background candidates and reduce renege rates.¡±

For universities, the report says that institutions should form closer ties with employers and ¡°collaborate on data sharing to enhance career guidance and recruitment strategies¡±.

Disadvantaged students should be informed that applying to graduate schemes early increases their likely success rate, it adds, and universities should provide guidance and support for tests and assessments they might face.

Co-author Claire Tyler, a research fellow at the IoE, said that ¡°barriers for working-class and ethnic-minority applicants remain and appear to be worsening¡±.?

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¡°The picture may be even more worrying for employers who are at the beginning of their social mobility journey. Employers who can access untapped talent pools to attract, hire and retain the best UK talent will be better prepared for skills shortages, longer-term declining birth rates and the forecast growth in professional jobs over the coming decade.¡±

juliette.rowsell@timeshighereducation.com