Employment 33 I am confident about getting the job I want after graduation Figure 28: Breakdown of responses to Employment theme questions 6% 11% 20% 24% 39% Strongly disagree Moderately disagree Neutral Moderately agree Strongly agree I have skills and experience that employers want 5% 9% 18% 31% 37% I already have a lot of work experience 12% 15% 22% 22% 29% I have taken part in activities to develop my skills for employment 5% 9% 18% 29% 39% Last year the employment index score rose by three points, but this year it has fallen by two. This reflects lower certainty across all of the statements. Employment confidence has fallen, with weaker optimism about graduate prospects, skills and experience. Appendices Introduction Employment Thematic analysis Applicant Index Report 2026 Belonging, equity and inclusion The Employment score measures confidence in graduate prospects, work-related skills and experience. 65 Down 2 from 2025 Back to contents