AI alters entry level job environment
At the London ad agency Catalyst, a single junior staffer now manages five client accounts, thanks to AI handling research, initial copy drafts, and data collection. Founder Tobias Green calls this setup “a reverse Mechanical Turk,” where AI operates behind the scenes while the human interacts with clients. This shift allows one employee to handle tasks previously requiring multiple people.
Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly adept at research, drafting, coding, and administrative work, all tasks traditionally given to junior employees across industries. This shift is changing how companies view entry-level roles, with Green noting that “if AI removes the grunt work, then the grunt work is no longer relevant.” Instead, junior employees need to learn how to manipulate and utilize AI.
Impact on Entry-Level Hiring
A recent report by the Open University found that 51% of business leaders in the U.K. said AI was changing how they hire, with 19% reducing entry-level recruitment due to AI adoption. Lucy Beaumont, global SVP of product at talent assessment company SHL, noted that some major graduate recruiters are hiring fewer people as they assess whether they need the roles at all.
Beaumont explained that entry-level roles are “where you get your training wheels,” allowing employees to learn and make mistakes in a corporate environment. Without these roles, it can create a crisis for employers when they look to the future, as it affects the development of skills and experience for young workers.
New Roles and Opportunities
However, junior roles aren’t disappearing altogether. A survey by technology consultancy Klarus found that 45% of U.K. and Irish mid-market leaders said AI was being used to help junior employees work better and faster, while almost a quarter said it was creating new roles and opportunities.
In software development, tools like Claude Code and Codex mean developers are increasingly responsible for overseeing projects completed by both AI agents and people. Sheila Flavell, COO of business and technology consultancy FDM Group, noted that this shift is pushing junior workers toward overseeing work much sooner in their careers.
Hiring for Potential
As a result, companies are changing their approach to hiring, with some moving away from recruiting graduates into predefined roles and instead hiring for broad capabilities. Beaumont described this as “hiring for potential,” where employers look for candidates with re-skilling potential and decide where to deploy them afterward.
For example, a large global retail bank is looking beyond traditional talent pools toward graduates in subjects like psychology and law, as they believe changing technical skills can be taught, while capabilities such as critical thinking are harder to build from scratch. The bank reasons that changing technical skills can be taught, while capabilities such as critical thinking are harder to build from scratch. AI raises the floor of what a junior can produce, but it doesn’t give them the judgement to know when the output is wrong.
Developing Judgement and Context
Hamilton also said that companies can treat entry-level work as “exposure” rather than “output,” with juniors checking and correcting AI-generated work while senior colleagues teach them the judgement around it.
FDM Group is experimenting with a similar approach, training people using real business problems and asking them to find solutions using agentic engineering. This method can help companies develop experienced workers and address the potential shortage of skilled employees in the coming years.
