The work AI can’t do (but I can)

I am worried about the job market. My friends are too. University degrees were meant to prepare us for successful careers, but entering the workforce just as AI reshapes the economy is an unexpected challenge.  

Every day there are fresh headlines about AI allowing employers to cut back on hiring white-collar workers, starting with entry-level positions. This is my reality. I see it on job recruitment websites and throughout the hiring process. This is not the world we were promised. 

These changes are not yet showing up at scale in the data. Oxford Economics is not seeing meaningful job losses due to AI and suggests that AI will change the mix of tasks and roles without triggering the sweeping headcount reductions many of us fear. Still, the promise of AI lies in automating processes and performing certain tasks faster than humans can, increasing productivity and potentially reducing the number of jobs.  

There are reasons for young workers to be optimistic. History suggests the job market will eventually adapt to accommodate AI. Like every major technological shift before it, this transformation will make some roles redundant while creating other opportunities in their place. The question that worries me is how fast this change will take place: will the shift be smooth enough to benefit those entering the workforce now, or will my generation be left behind as collateral damage of the AI transition? 

Young workers can’t afford to wait passively. Proficiency with AI tools should be a given – we need to do our part to shape our own futures by focusing on the skills that will set us apart from machines. Humans can’t perform repetitive tasks, generate code or process large amounts of information faster than AI, but there are fundamentally human qualities that are indispensable to businesses.  

Our research with the IBM Institute for Business Value addresses how skills and talent are changing in the age of AI. Creativity emerged as the most valued skill in 2025, while teamwork and collaboration were as important as technical skills. Another global study conducted in collaboration with Deloitte found that organisations deliberately designing human-AI interaction to make room for more creative and collaborative work are nearly 2.5 times more likely to report better financial results than their peers.  

AI adoption does not have to herald the end of entry-level roles. Instead, it could fulfil another promise: creating opportunities for employees to focus on more interesting, higher-value work by doing things machines can’t – building trust across teams, navigating complex interpersonal dynamics, imagining entirely new products, and exercising sound judgement in ambiguous situations. These aren’t skills that young professionals are expected to have mastered from the start, but demonstrating a good grasp shows interviewers that we understand their changing expectations. 

The new workforce is already starting to emerge at large professional services firms like PwC. AI is used for gathering and analysing accounting data, which enables junior employees to take part in client negotiations and handle more complex, higher-stakes decisions earlier in their careers. Despite these benefits, many companies are cutting back on entry-level recruitment.  

The ideal situation for both employers and young job seekers is to create a new balance between automating tasks and preparing the next-generation workforce. Recent graduates bring fresh thinking, adaptability, and new perspectives – and without them, companies cannot develop the next generation of managers and leaders.