When AI changes entry level jobs
While NHH students remain highly sought-after in the labor market, we are seeing clear signs that the recruitment landscape is changing, particularly for the type of economists, analysts, and advisors we educate.
Over the past six months, several international studies have pointed to the same development. The implementation of artificial intelligence is closely linked to a decline in entry-level jobs.
The Stanford Digital Economy Lab shows that employment among 22 to 25-year-olds in occupations with high AI exposure has fallen markedly, while the World Economic Forum points out that many entry-level positions are weakening in step with increased automation. Randstad reports a clear global decline in junior positions over the past year.
For graduates from business schools, economics, and law programs, this is particularly relevant. Tasks that previously served as important learning arenas for recent graduates, such as data collection, basic analysis, and document handling, are now increasingly managed by AI systems or by more experienced employees using advanced digital tools.
This does not necessarily mean there will be fewer jobs overall, but that the path into the labor market is changing. When traditional entry-level jobs either disappear or take on different content, we as an educational institution must address a fundamental question. How do we prepare our students for a working life where the starting point looks different than before?
I see three concrete actions we can take.
First, we must integrate more of the first job into education. Students need experience with tasks that previously lay in junior roles, through internships, project work with industry, and AI-based cases.
Second, we must educate for collaboration with AI. It is not sufficient that students can use tools. They must understand how AI changes work processes, what limitations and ethical frameworks apply, and how they themselves create value in an environment where routine tasks are automated. Problem-solving, judgment, and cross-disciplinary collaboration become more important than ever.
Third, we must help develop new career ladders. When working life changes its recruitment practices, academia and industry must collaborate on new models, such as graduate programs, combined study and work pathways, and partnerships that ensure good transition arenas for young talent.
Entry-level jobs have long served as the first step into professional life. As these steps now change, our educational strategies must evolve. For NHH, this requires working in close collaboration with employers to design new and relevant pathways that give our students the experience, skills, and confidence they need to enter a rapidly changing labor market. DIG is already contributing to this transition. Faculty connected to DIG are actively practicing many of these measures today by integrating real-world projects, AI-supported case work, and close collaboration with companies into the learning experience.