Artificial Intelligence (AI) is significantly transforming the modern labor market, increasingly automating routine processes and displacing some workers from traditional professions. In particular, the implementation of cutting-edge technologies makes job searching more challenging for many applicants, especially in areas where tasks can be more efficiently and cheaply delegated to machines.
This is reported by Finway
Consequences of Automation for Young Professionals
A new study from Stanford University, conducted by economist Erik Brynjolfsson and his colleagues at the Digital Economy Lab, highlights the growing negative trends for entry-level workers. The most significant job losses are observed in sectors where AI can fully or partially replace human labor: programming, accounting, administrative support, and customer service.
The researchers analyzed a large dataset on employment collected by Automatic Data Processing Inc., which serves millions of workers. The findings are striking: over the past three years, employment levels among young professionals in sectors actively adopting AI have decreased by 13%. In comparison, among experienced professionals in the same fields, employment remained stable or even increased.
Growing Demand for Experienced Workers, Not Beginners
The authors of the study emphasize that employers are increasingly investing in the automation of routine tasks. In cases where dozens of junior employees once worked, now a single team enhanced by AI technologies is sufficient. As a result, experienced workers gain additional advantages, as AI boosts their productivity rather than competing with them in the labor market.
Another trend is the decrease in opportunities for beginners, even for internships or short-term contracts. This is particularly true for young people aged 22 to 25, for whom the growth rate of employment has slowed. Meanwhile, in low-tech fields, such as auxiliary medical personnel, the demand for workers remains stable or even increases.
“The results of the study indicate that the pace of AI implementation creates new barriers for those just starting their professional careers, and the main risks are concentrated among entry-level workers in easily automatable sectors.”
The emergence of generative AI models capable of writing texts, creating code, or performing analytics is changing the approach to workforce planning in many companies. The demand for highly skilled specialists who can manage these systems is rising. In contrast, the need for junior performers, whose work is easier to automate, is noticeably decreasing.
The authors of the study emphasize that their work has not yet undergone full expert evaluation. However, it is already clear that structural changes in the labor market are becoming decisive. An important question remains: not only how many jobs AI creates or eliminates, but also which specific groups of workers are at the greatest risk of job loss.