Just a few years ago, a junior employee in finance was expected to master Excel, learn about the company and analyze data in response to specific requests.

Today, artificial intelligence can handle much of that work, and entry-level hires are increasingly asked to review AI-generated output, make judgment calls and manage risk – responsibilities that traditionally required years of firsthand experience, according to Peter Watkins, senior director of university programs at the CFA Institute.

“When you were an apprentice doing something 20 years ago, you needed about two or three years of work alongside other people,” Watkins said. “It’s almost like we’ve forgotten that period is needed for someone to be really effective in the next stage in their career.”

While some companies are just starting to dabble in AI deployment, early adopters have dived in. According to NVIDIA’s State of AI in Financial Services: 2026 Trends report, 73% of respondents in leadership roles said AI is important to their company’s future success and 89% of those surveyed said the technology has increased revenue and reduced annual costs.

“There’s tremendous pressure on CEOs often to follow the herd when it comes to, for example, layoffs, which, unfortunately, the stock market, on average, tends to reward because Wall Street interprets it as you can do more with less, whether that’s true or not,” said Erik Stettler, chief economist at talent marketplace Toptal. “If your competitor is doing it, then you need to show Wall Street and your board, yes, you’re doing it as well.”

But Stettler, a management consultant, has a warning for those business leaders: Don’t forget to plan for the future and train the next generation of leaders.

“It may look better on paper or in the Excel sheet to cut your entry-level hiring and talent development in this transitional moment, but this is a transitional moment,” Stettler said. “You have a responsibility to foster tomorrow’s talent for your organization. AI is not an excuse to hold off on that. You need to be playing the long game.”

Is AI taking entry-level jobs?

Young job seekers are having a hard time getting their foot in the door. A Cengage Group survey found 76% of employers reported hiring for fewer or the same number of entry-level roles in 2025, up from 69% in 2024. A Federal Reserve Bank of New York study found 42% of recent college graduates are "underemployed," the highest level since 2020, meaning they are working jobs that don't typically require a college degree.

As companies contend with economic uncertainty, AI is not the only factor contributing to a low-hire environment. Of those the Cengage Group surveyed, 46% said changes due to AI and emerging technologies are contributing to a decline in entry-level hiring. Around half said the current state of the economy and a tight labor market are to blame.

“Firms possibly are not recruiting as many as they have some years ago, but that’s as much about economics as AI,” Watkins said. “If firms are looking to make resource reductions, AI starts to become a solution for that, whereas in another economic climate, they’d probably be using it more in terms of innovation and growth.”

Still, a 2023 Goldman Sachs report estimated AI could expose about 300 million full-time jobs to automation. A World Economic Forum report last year said AI is likely to disrupt as many roles as it creates, with white-collar, entry-level jobs particularly vulnerable.

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