Thanks for the context, but there hasn't been a general tech sector crash since 2019, so I don't think the 2000-03 comparison is apt.

And while 2019 might have been third-highest year for investment in 2020, according to this it's been surpassed in 2021, 2022, and 2024

https://kpmg.com/xx/en/media/press-releases/2025/01/2024-glo...

So why have graduate hires continued to decline since 2023? It seems funds have been diverted from junior hiring into AI investments.

However, as others have remarked, this might be a case of "AI is not taking your jobs, AI investment is taking your jobs"

Junior hiring might pick up again once the spending spree is over