The chart with that data is https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6516123533d9510e36f3259c/...
Starting at 2019 and saying "pre-pandemic levels" might be a bit disingenuous since that was a leap to a boom... and the bust we're seeing now.
https://www.cbre.com/insights/articles/tech-boom-interrupted
At $113B, 2019 was the third-highest year on record for VC deal volume.
2019 had the second-highest volume of “mega rounds” ($100M deals or greater)–mega rounds represented 44% of total annual deal volume.
Revenue grew by an average of 12.2% in 2019 and the total revenues of the tech giants was greater than the GDP of four of the G20 nations.
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
https://www.signalfire.com/blog/signalfire-state-of-talent-r...