Research company Opinium conducted a poll of 4,000 16 to 25-year-olds in which 61 per cent of participants said it is increasingly hard to get a job without knowing the right person or having another way in.

The research also surveyed 500 businesses, with 32 per cent saying it was difficult for candidates to get a job without a connection, although 95 per cent said their application process judges all applicants equally.

Personal recommendations appeared to be valuable according to the research, with 55 per cent of employers saying they would be more likely to hire somebody based on a recommendation from a colleague, friend or family member.

A third of young employees in the UK got their jobs through a personal connection, according to a new poll.

It also found that 24 percent would be more likely to hire a candidate who went to the same university as they had. Thirty-four per cent said the same if someone came from a “similar background.”

Ndidi Okezie, chief executive of UK Youth, the charity which commissioned the research with KFC said: “In the UK, countless young people lack the opportunities, support and skills needed for secure stable employment, worsened by the pandemic and the ongoing cost of living crisis.

“It is crucial for the Government to offer support and invest in initiatives that empower young people, but equally vital are collaborations between youth work organisations and businesses.”

The charity and fast food chain have joined to launch a new programme aimed at helping 6,000 young people land their first jobs.

A research paper published by the Harvard Kennedy School earlier this year, titled “Tackling the UK’s regional economic inequality: Binding constraints and avenues for policy intervention”, showed stagnating wages for UK graduates was caused not by an increase in university graduates, but by a low demand for those with degrees. “The dominant problem for most regions is a lack of demand for graduates,” wrote the paper’s authors.

The so-called “graduate premium” in the UK - the amount graduates can expect to be paid more than those without degrees - is roughly 30 per cent outside of London, and has been decreasing since the 1990s.

Research by jobs website Adzuna shows the number of graduate jobs being advertised is down by a third compared to the same time last year.

There were around 23,200 advertised job vacancies for graduates in September, 280 fewer than in August and “significantly lower” than 34,277 a year ago, said Adzuna.

Andrew Hunter, of Adzuna, said: “September traditionally sees a surge in job market activity but the figures we’re seeing this year could signal a cooling off of the job market, which had shown signs of resilience earlier in the year.

“However, it’s not all doom and gloom. The year-on-year hiring gap has narrowed to its smallest in 2023. This suggests that despite the monthly setbacks, the annual outlook presents a more positive picture.

“The time to fill roles has also decreased, indicating that while competition is higher, employers are making quicker decisions. It’s a mixed bag, but one that warrants cautious optimism.”

Two thirds of young people say it's increasingly hard to get a job without knowing the right person