Early Careers Survey 2026

More than a third of Early Careers Survey respondents felt that the development of AI had reduced their career opportunities, while 41% said they were 'not very' or 'not at all' confident they were developing the AI-related skills needed for their future career

Beyond AI, staying motivated was the biggest challenge for respondents for the second year in a row, as the proportion citing finances as their greatest concern continued to fall.

Nevertheless, 46% were positive or very positive about their career prospects, compared with 19% who were negative or very negative, and 62% said they felt 'very' or 'fairly' certain about their career plans.

Prospects Luminate's annual Early Careers Survey captures the experiences, attitudes and outlooks of students and graduates at different stages of their education and career journeys.

Key findings of the Early Careers Survey 2026

• 35% of respondents said they thought the development of AI had decreased their career opportunities, 26% saw no change, 23% didn't know and 16% felt there were more opportunities.
• 15% said they were very confident they were developing the AI-related skills needed for their future career and 44% were fairly confident - while 32% were not very confident and 9% were not at all confident.
• 50% said keeping motivated was the biggest challenge of the past year, ahead of balancing commitments and money. The proportion citing money as their biggest challenge fell from 54% in 2024 to 42% this year.
• 12% of respondents were very positive about their career prospects and 34% positive, compared with 14% who were negative and 5% who were very negative. More than a third were neutral on this question.
• Among those who hadn't used their careers service in the last 12 months, 39% said it was because they were focusing on their course and 28% said they planned to use it later when applying for jobs.
• 34% of respondents who hadn't done any work experience said it was because they couldn't find any.
• The top three factors rated 'fairly' or 'very' important when job searching were training and development, skills required, and salary.
• Finding opportunities to apply to was the biggest cause of struggle during a job search, followed by competition for opportunities and having the required work experience.
• Describing their approach to job applications, 49% said they applied for a few different roles that interested them, 28% applied for as many jobs as possible, and 15% applied for a specific job role.
• 9% of respondents said they had reneged on a job offer having previously accepted it.
• The top factor influencing a decision to continue studying was passion for the subject, while content of courses was top when choosing where to study.

What's inside

The Early Careers Survey 2026 includes findings on:

• AI: attitudes and experiences
• Career sentiment
• Careers information, advice and guidance
• Searching and applying for jobs
• Study plans and experiences

Findings related to the priorities and challenges of prospective postgraduates were published separately here: What are the motivations and concerns of potential postgraduates in 2026?

About the Early Careers Survey 2026

The data presented in this report is based on the survey responses of 4,990 school pupils, sixth form/college students, apprentices, university students, graduates and those not in education, employment or training.

The survey was open between Thursday 8 January and Monday 9 February 2026 and asked about career plans and experiences over the last 12 months.

A breakdown of the demographics of the respondents - including by gender, age, ethnicity, disability and stage of education/career - is available in the full report.

If you're a student or graduate looking for careers advice, visit Prospects for guidance on topics including using generative AI in job applications.

Previous editions of the Early Careers Survey

• Early Careers Survey 2025 (PDF, 4Mb)
• Early Careers Survey 2024 (PDF, 3Mb)
• Early Careers Survey 2023 (PDF, 14Mb)
• Early Careers Survey 2022
• Early Careers Survey 2021 part one, part two, and part three