AI is Changing How Young Professionals Begin Their Careers

Artificial intelligence (AI) could put pressure on the entry-level careers that fresh graduates traditionally use to gain workplace experience, even as there is no clear evidence of mass unemployment caused by AI, according to a recent Economic Times report.

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The concern is that routine work often gives young employees their first opportunity to learn processes, develop technical skills and gradually take on more complex responsibilities.

If companies use AI for more of these tasks, the traditional route into professional careers could become narrower.

Routine Work Has Been a Starting Point

The report, written by Amit Kapoor and Mohammad Saad of the Institute for Competitiveness, notes that early careers often include tasks such as basic coding, debugging, documentation, data preparation and initial analysis.

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These assignments may appear routine, but they help employees build the knowledge needed for more advanced work. The authors argue that reducing these opportunities could create a gap between education and the experience required for higher-skilled roles.

A 2026 Stanford study cited in the report found that employment among workers aged 22–25 in highly AI-exposed occupations was about 19% below the level expected when compared with similarly aged workers in less AI-exposed occupations.

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However, this finding is based on US labour-market data and should not be treated as direct evidence of the same impact in India.

India is also seeing wider use of AI at work. The report cites Microsoft’s 2026 Work Trend Index, which said 34% of organisations in India had agent workflows, compared with 26% globally.

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Apprenticeships May Need a New Role

The authors suggest that India may need to rethink how young people gain workplace experience. They point to apprenticeships as one possible route, but note that the existing system also faces challenges.

According to the report:

• Apprentices under the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme increased from 3.08 lakh in 2020–21 to 9.86 lakh in 2024–25.
• NITI Aayog data cited in the report shows that apprenticeship completion rates declined between FY2018–19 and FY2023–24.
• The Economic Survey 2025–26 reportedly found that around 6,100 enterprises were actively engaged in apprenticeship training.

The authors propose integrating workplace apprenticeships more closely with higher education, allowing students to gain practical experience before graduation.

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The aim would be to prepare young workers to handle AI-assisted work while developing skills that require judgement and domain knowledge.

For employers and HR teams, the issue is therefore not simply how many jobs AI may replace.

It is also how organisations will create opportunities for freshers to learn, gain experience and progress when some traditional entry-level tasks can increasingly be handled by technology.