Canada's own graduate labour market should watch the UK's worsening situation, where the head of recruitment firm James Reed says the drop in entry‑level posts is turning youth unemployment into a national emergency.
Official data show total vacancies have slipped to 707,000, the lowest level in five years and the weakest point outside the pandemic era. More than 16 per cent of 16‑ to 24‑year‑olds are actively looking for work, and over a million are classified as NEET, not in employment, education or training.
Graduate listings on the company's site have fallen from roughly 180,000 four years ago to about 50,000 today, while the job‑search platform Adzuna reports an 85 per cent decline since 2017. The trend is clearly accelerating.
Reed argues that policy must adapt to the twin pressures of artificial‑intelligence automation and rising recruitment costs. He proposes a tax on robots to fund human workers and urges a rollback of recent employer National Insurance increases, which he says have acted as a tax on jobs.
The call comes as the review led by former Labour minister Alan Milburn nears completion, with findings expected after the autumn budget. The budget will shape the economic direction of Andy Burnham's administration, and officials such as Rachel Reeves and John Healey appear more inclined to support business than their predecessors.
In a personal note, Reed recalls the entrepreneurial spirit of his late father Sir Alec Reed, who founded the company in 1960 with a modest £75. To honour that legacy, the firm is launching a fund that will back 66 young entrepreneurs with £20,000 each and mentorship, aiming to spark new ventures.
He also warns against over‑involved parents completing applications or sitting in on remote interviews, suggesting instead that they share his interview‑prep book or use the free career advice available on Reed.co.uk.
Outside the labour market, Reed recommends the Netflix series Legends, starring Steve Coogan and Tom Burke, as a compelling drama about 1990s Britain.
During a recent visit to Tynemouth, he admired a six‑foot cod sculpture made from beach litter by local artists Beth Huttly and Amy Welch, commissioned by North Tyneside Council to raise awareness of plastic waste.