The degrees to choose for a secure, well-paid career, according to experts

Calling all recent university graduates – the time for fretting about whether you’ll ever get a job could be ending.

Hiring in the UK could finally be on the up, with 47 per cent of employers offering entry-level positions from July (entry-level is classed as an early-career role, usually aimed at people 18 to 25). That’s according to ManpowerGroup’s Employment Outlook Survey, which surveyed 2,061 employers of all sizes and sectors across the UK between January and April about their hiring intentions for the third quarter of this year.

It’s up nearly 15 per cent from this period last year, when the same survey described the UK employment market as “hitting rock bottom”.

Shorts

Prospects for university graduates have looked bleaker than ever. Graduate unemployment rose to 6 per cent in 2025 and 700,000 jobless graduates were found to be claiming benefits. And one in 10 graduates are earning less than the National Living Wage five years after leaving university, according to research from Policy Exchange.