What Is the Job Market in 2024 Like for Recent Graduates?
What Is the Job Market in 2024 Like for Recent Graduates?
Written by Nina Maria
Let me set the scene. You are eighteen. Fresh out of school. You watch Project Runway and analyse it for entertainment, naming the collection looks as if your life depends on it. You study fashion—any pathway: design, communications, marketing, journalism—whatever you like. You pour hard work in, take every opportunity to intern, and often work for free. The dangling carrot is the hope to get a job after—everyone told you to be prepared for the mission impossible.
Fast forward to now. You’ve graduated after a global pandemic, Brexit, and whatnot. Inflation is high, nobody is shopping. Print is struggling, and brands are hiring less. In other words, the job market isn’t exactly ideal.
“Of course, it has always been hard to get a job in the creative industry,” says Lucy Broome, a freelance journalist from South Wales and recent graduate of the BA Fashion Histories and Theories program at Central Saint Martins. “Particularly in fashion and especially for those from lower economic backgrounds or post-industrialised areas such as Wales, where the creative industry doesn’t really have a presence. I do believe that the job market has been worsening rapidly each year,” she adds. The recent closure of mass employers like Matches Fashion doesn’t make this situation any easier.
The UK fashion industry contributes significantly to the economy, with an estimated £60-62 billion in annual revenue and around 1.3 million jobs, which is about 1 in every 25 jobs in the country. This makes it one of the largest creative industries in the UK, offering a variety of opportunities for graduates. But while the majority of these jobs are spread across marketing, sales and PR, it leaves practical fashion graduates from fields like design, photography, and writing in a much harder position to take a slice of the market pie.
“I don’t think people are aware of how difficult it is getting into fashion these days. There are far fewer internships, which are a valuable resource for meeting and working with editors at magazines. I also see very few entry-level positions advertised,” says Dominic Cadogan, a fashion and beauty journalist and consultant. Cadogan is echoing a sentiment many feel—connections matter more than ever, perhaps even more than talent. “It’s sad to say, but I think brands and publications only look for graduates in an exploitative way—when they want to hire somebody for very little money.” Young people want to get their foot in the door, versus more experienced individuals who demand higher pay. A luxury fashion professional, who wishes to remain anonymous, mentioned that even luxury brands today replace full positions with low-paid interns.
Truth to be told, fashion is an ecosystem. You can imagine it like a cycle, and in difficult economic times, securing a job may be a lot harder than before – brands or any potential employers take less risks, wanting candidates that are usable in a commercial context. “I don’t blame any of my tutors for not making the struggle of breaking into the industry clear,” adds Broome. “But I do believe that the courses could incorporate more ways to prepare students for industry by giving them a realistic way to consider how they can use the creative skills they have learnt to translate into jobs and making a living.” Clarabelle Tan, a producer who graduated from LCC in 2023 describes the London job competition as “fierce”. Her job hunt was draining – it made her question her skill set and plummeted her self-confidence.
Truth to be told, fashion is an ecosystem. You can imagine it like a cycle, and in difficult economic times, securing a job may be a lot harder than before – brands or any potential employers take less risks, wanting candidates that are usable in a commercial context. “I don’t blame any of my tutors for not making the struggle of breaking into the industry clear,” adds Broome. “But I do believe that the courses could incorporate more ways to prepare students for industry by giving them a realistic way to consider how they can use the creative skills they have learnt to translate into jobs and making a living.” Clarabelle Tan, a producer who graduated from LCC in 2023 describes the London job competition as “fierce”. Her job hunt was draining – it made her question her skill set and plummeted her self-confidence.
The detachment of art schools and industries has been a tale as old as time. In the book Gods and Kings by Dana Thomas, the author writes that even Galliano wished he had learnt more practical business knowledge during his study time. Fast-forward to now, this has barely changed – the arts are almost too divorced from reality, making studying arty subjects way more exclusive to those who may not have to worry about financial struggles too much.
“My advice would be to be as tenacious as possible in the face of adversity,” adds Cadogan. Fashion is a tough industry to enter, but once you are in, you have the chance to stay. “Over the years I have been working in fashion, there have been so many new roles and career paths created – from social media editors to TikTok critics. Don’t be dissuaded if you can’t follow the traditional path you had in mind,” they finish.
In the end, we all had that dream one day. The dream of being a designer, a magazine editor, or a luxury buyer. So we are going to have to be relentless with it. Whether it’s collaborating with friends on projects, starting our own blogs or self-funding our own brand.
Now with the development of various career platforms, where industry professionals are trying to build new pathways for the next generation, there are new ways to get your foot in the door. So, below we have compiled a list of places to find opportunities, from shadowing to internships to full time jobs. Though the road to success is fraught and often when compared to other industries much less linear, hopefully we can carve our own way to where we want to be.
