Entry-Level Roles Are Disappearing: Who Trains the Next Generation?

For years, the traditional career path was relatively straightforward.

You started at the bottom, learned the basics, worked alongside more experienced colleagues, took on more responsibility and gradually moved up.

But that model is changing.

AI is taking over some of the repetitive tasks that once gave junior employees valuable experience, while employers increasingly want people who can contribute from day one.

So, what happens when businesses need experienced talent, but fewer people are getting the opportunity to become experienced?

 

Are entry-level jobs becoming harder to find?

The evidence suggests that, in some professions, they are.

UK Government analysis of LinkedIn hiring data found that “30 of 38 tracked entry-level occupations were declining in April 2026”.

Some of the biggest declines included accountants, graphic designers and software engineers.

For candidates, that creates a familiar problem:

How do you get experience when so many opportunities already ask for it?

And this isn't just a graduate issue. Career changers, apprentices and people moving into new specialisms can face the same barrier.

Is AI removing junior work or changing it?

AI can now support tasks such as research, reporting, administration, content creation and data analysis.

That can free people to focus on higher-value work.

But those “basic” tasks were also how many junior employees learned.

You might prepare a report before learning how to interpret it.

Assist with a client before eventually managing the relationship.

Create content before learning how to build a campaign.

 

If AI removes some of those first steps, are we also removing part of the training ground?

If everyone wants experience, who creates it?

Hiring managers understandably want people who can make an impact quickly.

But today's experienced candidate was once inexperienced too.

They needed someone to give them a first opportunity. They needed time to learn, make mistakes and develop.

If businesses become increasingly focused on hiring people who already have the experience, the talent pipeline could become harder to maintain.

 

If we stop hiring for potential, where will tomorrow's experienced candidates come from?

Younger professionals are also approaching careers differently, with greater emphasis on progression, flexibility and learning.

LinkedIn estimates that people entering the workforce today are on pace to hold twice as many jobs over their careers compared with 15 years ago.

For candidates, moving roles can create new opportunities and skills.

For employers, it can make long-term investment in junior talent more difficult.

But there is a potential cycle:

Less investment → less development → fewer experienced internal candidates → greater reliance on external hiring.

 

So, what should employers do?

The answer may not be to protect every traditional junior task.

Instead, businesses could rethink what an entry-level role looks like in an AI-enabled workplace.

If AI handles repetitive work, junior employees could spend more time developing:

• Problem-solving
• Communication
• Client relationships
• Commercial thinking
• Decision-making
• Digital and AI skills

The question shifts from:

“What can this person already do?”

to:

“What can we help this person become?”

That matters because today's junior employee could become tomorrow's experienced hire, manager or business leader.

 

Who trains the next generation?

The debate around AI often focuses on how many jobs technology might replace.

But perhaps the bigger question is what happens to the career ladder itself.

Entry-level work is changing. Employers need new skills. Candidates need opportunities to build experience.

The organisations that think seriously about that gap today may be better placed to build the talent they need tomorrow.

Because the real question isn't whether AI will change entry-level work.

It already is.

The question is:

Who will make sure there is still a first step?