Entry-Level Jobs At Risk As AI Takes Over, Says LinkedIn

AI is rapidly replacing the kinds of entry-level jobs young workers need, sparking warnings about career starts from LinkedIn’s Aneesh Raman.

Entry-level jobs are disappearing fast, and artificial intelligence may be to blame. LinkedIn’s chief economic opportunity officer Aneesh Raman issued this warning that AI technology is destroying the entry-level positions which serve as the foundation of career advancement.

In a recent New York Times op-ed, Raman compared today’s AI disruption to the loss of manufacturing jobs in the 1980s. Now, he says, “it is our office workers who are staring down the same kind of technological and economic disruption.”

The tasks that used to be performed by junior employees for code debugging and legal team support now rely on artificial intelligence tools. Wall Street firms are currently evaluating deep reductions in their entry-level recruitment process, as noted by Fortune.

Raman argues that the unemployment rate among college graduates continues to increase at a faster pace than it does for other demographic groups.

The biggest shake-up is hitting tech first, but other sectors like finance, food, and travel are likely next. “The erosion of traditional entry-level tasks is expected to play out in fields like finance, travel, food and professional services, too,” Raman warned.

Roman also pointed out to the growing concern that job market inequality could worsen. Without entry-level roles, people without elite connections or privileged backgrounds may find it even harder to get started.

Roman argues that the impact goes beyond individuals, indeed, when major economic shifts hit, entire communities feel the effects. The loss of manufacturing jobs across America’s heartland didn’t just mean lost paychecks, it triggered widespread social and political disruption.

To fix this, he suggests schools teach AI skills across all subjects and businesses train junior workers in more complex tasks.

Jasper.ai CEO Timothy Young agrees that the hiring game is changing: “There is a lot of power in the junior employees, but you can’t leverage them the same way that you would in the past,” as reported by Fortune

While some companies like Duolingo and Klarna have pulled back on AI plans, studies show AI’s real-world impact is slower than expected. “It seems it’s a much smaller and much slower transition,” said University of Chicago professor Anders Humlum, as reported by Fortune.