AI and the disappearing entry-level job

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Welcome to Green Jobs Rising!

Is AI really taking our jobs?

Today we explore AI and jobs. 

The ‘Monster’ already lives and walks among us, we better adapt than pretend it doesn’t exist or hasn’t changed the way we work.

Since the rise of powerful AI tools like ChatGPT, there has been ongoing debate about their impact on jobs. 

Several studies done on this subject point to a trend. 

AI is already eating entry-level roles, but where exactly? 

Junior or entry-level roles are training pipelines. If they shrink, how do people gain experience at all?

These roles are becoming harder to find in certain sectors, especially those exposed to AI.

• A study from Stanford University found that AI tools are making it more difficult for early-career workers to secure roles in areas like software development and customer service. 

Hiring has slowed for younger and less experienced workers, while opportunities for more experienced professionals have held steady or even improved.

• Data from Randstad in 2025 tells a similar story. Global job postings requiring 0 to 2 years of experience dropped by 24% since January 2024. 

Roles built around routine tasks saw the biggest declines. Data entry clerks dropped by 63%, auditors by 43%, payroll specialists by 41% and financial analysts by 46%. These insights come from an analysis of 11 million job postings.

At the same time, demand for senior professionals with over 10 years of experience rose by 6%.

• Research from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas adds another layer. AI is both supporting and replacing workers, but the impact differs by experience level. 

AI-highly-exposed occupations dropped from 16.4% to 15.5% of total U.S. employment.  The decline concentrated among younger workers. 

• A March 2026 article by Harvard Business Review offers a more balanced perspective. 

Many companies are reducing junior hiring because AI can now handle tasks that once helped train new employees, such as research, data compilation, basic analysis and first drafts.

But not all companies are responding the same way.

• IBM provides an interesting counterexample. Instead of cutting entry-level roles, the company increased its hiring of early-career talent. 

Their reasoning is simple. Entry-level work is not disappearing, it is evolving.

New hires are spending less time on repetitive tasks and more time learning how to work alongside AI systems. 

This skill is becoming more valuable than the traditional path of starting with routine work.

In the African context, AI adoption is uneven and, in many sectors, still slower than in the Western world. 

This creates a limited but important window to build the skills needed to remain relevant as adoption accelerates.  

The younger generation is already moving in that direction.

Randstad’s 2025 Workmonitor shows that Generation Z, in particular, is adapting quickly to this changing landscape. 

The research finds that many are actively pursuing growth by combining roles and side hustles, while also using AI to expand their skills at speed. 

In fact, 75% of Gen Z are already using AI to upskill, more than any other generation.

If entry-level roles disappear, the question is no longer just about jobs, it is about how an entire generation learns to become experts. To expand on this, watch this video where a HR professional explains how to leverage AI in your job search.