Understanding the Graduate Job Market
with record annual increases at several of the top City and international law firms. One in six employers featured in The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers now offering starting salaries in excess of £50,000 for their new recruits. The most tempting salaries publicised within this edition are at the law firms A&O Shearman, Freshfields, Herbert Smith Freehills, Hogan Lovells, Linklaters, Slaughter and May, and White & Case – each of which is offering new trainees a starting salary of £56,000 in 2025. Away from the legal sector, retailer Aldi continues to pay a sector-leading graduate salary of £50,000 for its Area Management trainee programme, and consulting firm Newton offers a starting salary of £45,000. One in three of the UK’s leading employers recruit graduates year-round, or in different phases during the year, and will accept applications throughout the 2024-2025 recruitment season until all their vacancies are filled. For employers with an annual application deadline, most are in November or December, although a limited number have October or post-Christmas deadlines for their graduate programmes.
but there are fewer graduate jobs available in retailing or in more specialist areas, such as purchasing, logistics & supply chain, property and the media. More than four-fifths of Top 100 employers have graduate vacancies in London in 2025, and three-fifths have posts available elsewhere in the south east of England. Up to half also have roles in the north west of England, the south west, the Midlands, Yorkshire and the north east. Over half are recruiting for graduate roles in Scotland, but Northern Ireland, Wales and East Anglia have the fewest employers with vacancies this year. Graduate starting salaries at The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers changed little between 2012 and 2021, increasing by just £1,000 in this nine-year period to a median of £30,000. But this went up to £32,000 in 2022, the first annual boost in starting salaries for seven years. And it has continued rising since – to £33,500 in 2023 and £34,000 in 2024. These rates are expected to increase further in 2025, with the most generous starting salaries available at the leading investment banks & fund managers (a median of £60,000), law firms (£56,000) and consulting firms (£50,000). It is noticeable that employers in each of these popular destinations for new graduates have opted to step-up their starting salaries in the past year,
This means that there is every incentive to apply early for the wide variety of graduate vacancies that are available in 2025 at The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers . Graduate Vacancies at Top 100 Employers in 2025
2024
GRADUATE VACANCIES IN 2025
% CHANGE IN 2025
% CHANGE IN 2024
MEDIAN STARTING SALARY IN 2025
p 13.5% p 4.2% q 21.0% q 1.9% q 4.8% q 7.5% NO CHANGE p 21.4% q 7.6% q 3.5% q 9.8% q 20.7% q 1.6% p 9.2% p 16.1%
q 8.2% p 9.4% p 20.8% q 10.6% p 4.1% p 3.9% p 3.0% q 22.2% p 7.8% p 9.1% p 7.3% q 24.2% p 18.1% q 3.1% q 14.5%
1. 1 ACCOUNTANCY & PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FIRMS 6,695
£37,500 £30,300 £30,900 £33,500 £60,000 £35,000 £31,000 £28,800 £56,000 £34,000 £35,000 £50,000 £42,000 £32,500 £27,500
2. 2 PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYERS
4,293 3,325 2,050 1,850 1,775 1,350
3. 3 ENGINEERING & INDUSTRIAL COMPANIES
4. 4 TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES
5. 6 INVESTMENT BANKS & FUND MANAGERS 6. 5 BANKING & FINANCIAL SERVICES
7. 8 ARMED FORCES
8. 9 MEDIA ORGANISATIONS
975 857 415 275 260 250 143 130
9. 7 LAW FIRMS 10. 10 RETAILERS
11. 13 CONSUMER GOODS MANUFACTURERS
12. 11 CONSULTING FIRMS
13. 12 OIL & ENERGY COMPANIES
14. 14 CHEMICAL & PHARMACEUTICALS COMPANIES
15. -
PROPERTY COMPANIES
Source High Fliers Research
30 TOP 100 GRADUATE EMPLOYERS
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