The Young Are Being Battered by AI as Hiring Shifts to Older Workers
The Young Are Being Battered by AI as Hiring Shifts to Older Workers
https://gizmodo.com/the-young-are-being-battered-by-ai-as-hiring-shifts-to-older-workers-2000759608
Publish Date: 2026-05-17 05:30:00
Source Domain: gizmodo.com
- The job market for young workers aged 22-to-27 deteriorated noticeably in the first quarter of the year, according to a New York Fed report.
- AI is partially blamed for this decline, as more companies are using AI to automate tasks that young graduates might otherwise perform.
- The job market for these young workers experienced its worst condition since the pandemic by the end of the year.
- A global CEO survey by Oliver Wyman found that 43% of CEOs plan to reduce junior roles over the next two years, a significant increase from 17% in the previous year.
- The trend is driven by AI deployment; those CEOs with longer planning horizons are more inclined to reduce headcount, possibly envisioning a leaner, AI-augmented organization.
- Despite AI being a top priority for most CEOs, with over 90% deploying it, many haven’t seen substantial returns on their AI investments.
- The report highlights that even CEOs seeing returns on AI investments are still shifting hiring preference towards mid-level roles rather than juniors.
- AI-driven headcount reduction can expose organizations and jeopardize future workforce development, particularly for young talents who lose on-the-job training and growth opportunities.
