AI's Impact on Entry-Level Jobs: A Growing Concern for Young Workers

Replacing entry-level work with AI may come with 'a toll to pay' Rachel Barber   USA TODAY {"headline":"Is AI coming for your job? Here's what we know now","id":"87068926007","promoBrief":"USA TODAY's Money reporter, Rachel Barber, looks at the impact AI is having on the job market in the U.S.","shortHeadline":"Is AI taking over American jobs?","title":"Is your job under threat from AI? Here's what we know now","type":"video","adsEnabled":true,"awsPath":"news","brightcoveAccountId":"","brightcoveId":"","byline":"","embedURL":"","hlsURL":"https://hlsmedia.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/videos/presto/renditions/87068926007/0104142a-cf25-408b-9d8e-bfbc3752756b/480p_30fps,720p_30fps,1080p_30fps,master.m3u8","initialPublishDate":"2025-11-04T10:06:38.479280991Z","keywords":"Machine Learning \u0026 Artificial Intelligence,Economy News,News,Jobs,Business News,Overall Neutral","mp4URL":"https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/videos/presto/renditions/87068926007/0104142a-cf25-408b-9d8e-bfbc3752756b/1080p_30fps.mp4","origin":"Getty Images","pageURL":{"long":"https://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/2025/11/04/is-your-job-under-threat-from-ai-heres-what-we-know-now/87068926007/","short":"https://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/2025/11/04/is-your-job-under-threat-from-ai-heres-what-we-know-now/87068926007/"},"renditions":[{"duration":148000},{"duration":148000},{"duration":148000},{"duration":148000},{"duration":0},{"duration":0},{"duration":0},{"duration":0}],"series":"","ssts":{"path":"news","section":"news","taxonomyEntityDisplayName":"News"},"videoStill":"https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2025/11/03/USAT/87069028007-wwkn-ai-jobs.jpg?crop=1919,1079,x0,y0"} Show Caption Hide Caption #videoDetailsToggle{color:var( --color-dove-gray,rgba(0,0,0,.6));cursor:pointer;display:inline-block;font-family:var(--sans-serif,sans-serif);font-size:var(--type-7);font-weight:var( --font-weight-bold,900);line-height:var(--spacer-twentyfour,24px);margin-bottom:-8px}#vdt_hide{margin-bottom:10px}.vdt-flex[hidden]{display:none}.vdt-svg{fill:var( --color-dove-gray,rgba(0,0,0,.6));height:var(--spacer-twentyfour,24px);width:var(--spacer-twentyfour,24px)} (function() { let vdContainer, vdShow, vdHide, flagCaption = false, vdToggle = document.getElementById('videoDetailsToggle'), section = ga_data.route.sectionName || ga_data.route.ssts.split('/')[0], subsection = ga_data.route.ssts.split('/')[1]; vdToggle.addEventListener('click', ()=> { // query dom only after user click if (!vdContainer) { vdContainer = document.getElementById('videoDetailsContainer'); vdShow = document.getElementById('vdt_show'), vdHide = document.getElementById('vdt_hide'); } vdContainer.hidden = !(vdContainer.hidden); // show/hide elements if (vdContainer.hidden) { vdShow.hidden = false; vdHide.hidden = true; } else { if (!flagCaption) { flagCaption = true; fireCaptionAnalytics() } vdShow.hidden = true; vdHide.hidden = false; } }); function fireCaptionAnalytics () { let analytics = document.getElementById("pageAnalytics"); try { if (analytics) { analytics.fireEvent(`${ga_data.route.basePageType}|${section}|${subsection}|streamline|expandCaption`); } else { if (window.newrelic) window.newrelic.noticeError('page analytics tag not found'); } } catch (e) { if (window.newrelic) window.newrelic.noticeError(e); } } }()); Is your job under threat from AI? Here's what we know now USA TODAY's Money reporter, Rachel Barber, looks at the impact AI is having on the job market in the U.S. 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. Doomsday scenario or reality? Mass layoffs fuel fear of AI Armageddon “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 marketp