Some companies are asking whether they need to hire as many entry-level workers, given that AI can handle tasks done by the least-experienced employees, such as answering customer service questions, doing research, and writing memos.
This raises thorny questions about how organizations bring on young talent and allow them to move up a career ladder, what the outlook is for new entrants to the job market, and what skills they need.
As part of our ongoing research into these questions , we spoke with Valerie Capers Workman, chief talent engagement officer of Handshake, on the sidelines of the Semafor World of Work summit this week.
Handshake, a jobs platform for college students, has seen an over 7% decline in internships offered over the past year. But Workman believes there remains intense demand for young workers, especially those with both liberal arts educations and AI skills. Here are excerpts from the conversation, edited for space and clarity:
AI is turning out to be good at some of the things that entry-level workers do and there’s concern that as a result entry-level jobs actually go away. Do you see that currently, or on the horizon?
We are not seeing a reduction in the need for entry-level work, but the roles are changing and that’s really important. What used to be considered an entry-level role may indeed be taken by AI. So we need to have two categories. What is a human entry-level role? And what is an AI tool that would take a formally categorized entry-level position?
But there is no shortage of the need for early talent. We are seeing hundreds of thousands of jobs. Employers are—’desperate’ might not be too tough a word—to get talent in the door because we have an aging workforce. So it’s going to change what they’re going to be doing at that first level, but they will still have first-level jobs.
How will those first-level jobs be different two years from now?
Roles are going to be crafted such that you need the AI tool and you need the soft skill. It’s a combination of critical thinking, ability to write. For example, there’s a major tech company that put out a slew of openings for entry-level AI roles. They wanted English majors. English majors!
Some 66% of leaders surveyed by LinkedIn and Microsoft said they would not hire workers without AI skills. A majority would also hire less experienced workers if they had AI skills. So the question that employers are asking is ‘What is an AI skill and how do we know if people have it?’
This is a really great question because how it’s being used right now, what they mean is generative AI, they mean the ChatGPT-esque skillset, the ability to prompt engineer. Probably a year from now, that’s how you’re going to see it written. Instead of ‘AI,’ it will say ‘prompt engineering.’ Right now, that’s what they’re looking for.
What else do we know about how the entry-level job requirements are changing?
Now you’re seeing prompt engineering, you’re seeing English or some kind of liberal arts—history, philosophy—actually being written into tech job roles for new entry-level roles. We’ve never seen that.
They’re looking for critical thinking?
Critical thinking, critical writing. Which is prompt engineering.
What is Gen Z looking for in an employer?
Number one, stability. They want to know that they have a good shot of staying there for a few years. They are very concerned about losing their jobs. They are concerned about layoffs. They’re very stressed out about the economy, and so they want stability and they want to make enough money to support themselves and they want retirement benefits. Since when is Gen Z— they’re literally thinking about retirement benefits!
That’s not what many people think about Gen Z wanting. Instead they might think about Gen Z wanting elaborate benefits for their pets and remote work and such…
Exactly. The view that they want remote work. They want to stay one year, they want to be able to move around. That is three-year-old thinking. That is so old school.
New generations in the workplace actually shape them over time. How do you think Gen Z will reshape the workplace for all generations moving forward?
Gen Z will ensure that everyone is tech savvy and that no one will consider a job not a tech job anymore. Every job is a tech job because of Gen Z.
Read also Charter’s recent coverage of “How AI impacts junior employees’ development.”