The incorporation of AI across numerous industries has led to a steep decline in graduate roles, according to research from Indeed.
The jobs platform found that the number of roles listed for recent graduates had declined by a third year-on-year, dipping to the lowest level in almost a decade, first reported by The Guardian.
“Despite the UK labour market holding out overall, new entrants like graduates face a challenging time in securing a first rung on the ladder,” said Jack Kennedy, a senior economist at Indeed.
“This signals a wider landscape of employers holding on to existing staff, while some observers contend that entry-level roles in professional occupations are particularly exposed to AI displacement.”
Reports have revealed that the AI-powered drop in entry-level hiring was particularly prevalent among major professional services firms.
KPMG scaled back its most recent cohort of graduates by a third, Deloitte by 18%, EY by 11% and PwC by 6%.
The UK government is looking into scaling the country’s AI skills to better suit the demands of modern workplaces.
At London Tech Week, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the government would be supporting the AI upskilling of 7.5 million workers through partnership agreements with major employers in the country.
Fears over AI’s ability to replace the work of humans was the central theme of a recent advertising campaign in London from Californian AI firm Artisan.
The company’s “Stop hiring humans” campaign prompted numerous complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
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