UK Summer Job Vacancies Fall 31% in 2024, Raising Youth Employment Concerns
Sharp Decline in Summer Job Opportunities and Its Impact on Young Workers
Overview of Summer Job Market Trends
LONDON, June 10 (Reuters) - British employers are offering almost a third fewer summer jobs this year than in 2025, adding to the challenges facing young people struggling to get a foothold in the job market, figures from recruitment platform Indeed showed on Wednesday.
The 31% drop in summer jobs is much sharper than for overall vacancies which are down 11% year-on-year in Indeed's data as of May 22 and 7% in official data for the three months to April.
Employer Response to Economic Conditions
"Employers are navigating a difficult environment and they're responding by pulling back on junior hiring in particular," Jack Kennedy, senior economist at Indeed Hiring Lab, said.
Key Statistics and Sector-Specific Insights
Summer Job Vacancy Data
Following are more details from the release and wider context about the jobs market:
Major Findings from Indeed
• Summer job vacancies are down 71% from their peak in 2023, according to Indeed
• The biggest falls in vacancies are for summer teaching jobs - typically at English-language schools, tutoring and sports camps - while hospitality vacancies showed less decline
• Indeed defined summer jobs as those with "summer" in the job title, excluding summer internships and similar roles
Broader Employment Trends
• Recruitment and Employment Confederation data earlier this week showed a big rise in temporary hiring at the expense of permanent roles due to uncertainty over the Iran war
• Over 1 million Britons aged 16-24 are not in employment, education or training, one in eight of the age group, and a government report has warned this could rise to one in six
• Businesses blame the narrowing differential between the minimum wage for 18-20 year olds and older workers; economists say the evidence is not conclusive.
Reporting and Editorial Notes
(Reporting by David MillikenEditing by William Schomberg)
