‘I graduated from a top London university – 100 job applications later I’m still unemployed’

‘I graduated from a top London university – 100 job applications later I’m still unemployed’ Emily Shulman has applied to over 100 jobs – still she and her university friends are struggling to find jobs in UK’s tough jobs market - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments On paper, it should have straight forward for Emily Shulman to secure a job upon graduating from her journalism master’s degree at Goldsmiths University in London. The 22-year-old had already achieved an undergraduate degree in criminology and sociology from the University of Nottingham, and has a host of work experiences and internships under her belt. However, more than 100 applications later and she remains unemployed and is among the one million young people struggling to settle into a career. “At first it was instant rejections but as I did more work experience, I got more interviews but ultimately everything was leading to nothing,” she told The Independent. “I’ve tried different approaches such as reaching out to people on LinkedIn, applying online, emailing - but so often I’ve been ghosted.” Recent official figures showed the number of vacancies in the UK jobs market fell to a five-year low in the three months to July. The latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) survey found that small firms may not be recruiting because of increased labour costs and other business expenses, while the war in the Middle East has caused economic uncertainty and rising living costs. This has particularly impacted young people, with the latest data, published earlier this year, showing the number of people aged between 16 and 24 and not in employment, education or training – so-called Neets – was at nearly one million. “I think a lot of people are in the same position as me,” Ms Shulman said. “My sister is one year older and she did a law conversion and couldn’t get a training contract. She’s ended up moving to Manchester and doing something law-related but not what she really wanted to do. “A lot of my friends from my master’s are still unemployed. It’s so hard anyways going from living independently in university to living with your parents. The cost of London makes socialising so hard, going on a night out together is especially hard when you have no income.” She has since carried out a number of unpaid internships in order to gain as much work experience as possible, but says the job market is “oversaturated” and that many advertisements require several years of experience for junior roles. Another issue named by those applying is the presence of “ghost jobs”. This refers to the practice of employers or recruiters advertising roles which may already have been filled or may not have existed in the first place. The purpose of this is often to build a pool of candidates for future hiring, or to keep a list of names incase the recent hire doesn’t work out. A report published by City Hall in April found that artificial intelligence was threatening at least a million jobs in London alone, mainly administrative roles and jobs in areas such as IT and data analysis. Women, who are overrepresented in administrative and clerical roles, young people and those with higher educational levels are among the most exposed, the report states. “I try to stay optimistic but it is really disheartening, especially when you can’t celebrate your achievements,” Ms Shulman said. “I was coming to the end of my Masters but that looming deadline of September and having nothing to show for it clouded everything. “You feel you can’t be excited until you know what you’re doing,” she said. The ONS said its early estimates show there were around 6,000 fewer vacancies between May and July, compared with February to April. This brings the level of vacancies down to 707,000, the lowest in more than five years or, outside of the Covid pandemic years, since 2014. Vacancies slumped earlier in the year in a sign that firms were pulling back hiring in the face of economic uncertainty and higher wage costs. It isn’t just graduates who are struggling to find secure employment. Spencer Stern, 44, spent nine years as a senior data analyst before leaving his role last summer, but has now applied to over 200 jobs in his ongoing search. “Sometimes I just get frustrated and fire off applications and not care,” he said. “You’ve got these AI ‘easy apply’ type jobs which I’ve found quite rubbish. It’s just shooting applications into a black hole. They are essentially flooding the recruiters with CVs which makes it even harder for those who are not using auto-apply apps.” He added: “In terms of difficulties in the job market, it’s gone from a handful of stages to a ridiculous amount of stages. You now have to apply with a cover letter and a questionnaire, then a one-way video interview, a test, a call with a recruiter, a hiring manager, a take home task and a presentation before in-person interviews.” As a result, Mr Stern is channelling his energy into building his own venture ChatbotCV, which he hopes will help employers filter through CVs for the relevant information. “One of the most devastating things about being out of work is the unstructured time,” he said. “It’s devastating on the mind so over time I’ve had to structure my thoughts and figure out something that’s keeping me busy, in a way that I can hopefully monetise.” A DWP spokesperson said: “Every young person deserves the chance to build a future they can be proud of, and we are reforming Jobcentres so they are better able to support those including graduates trying to find work. “Thanks to our £2.5 billion investment, there are more opportunities opening up for those looking to take the next step in their career, supporting almost one million young people and unlocking up to 500,000 jobs and training opportunities. “Businesses also receive significant tax breaks through the national insurance exemption for under-21s and apprentices under 25, alongside hiring incentives worth up to £8,000 when they take on an eligible young person.” Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments