Empowering the Early Career Workforce in the Age of AI
Organizations should be intentional about preparing and retaining their early career talent for leveraging AI
Even in today’s storm of buzzwords, a basic question remains around AI: who’s going to bring this technology to life? Many organizations today are facing challenges attracting, engaging and nurturing the right talent—especially the early career workers who are uniquely positioned to leverage these technological advancements compared to the previous generations. This is because the early career workers tend to be digitally native and expert users of many of these advanced tools.
Early career workers (those with less than 5 years of total experience) are not only future leaders, they might also be key to unlocking the full potential of AI. If not adequately supported, this talent segment may seek alternative employment types, jeopardizing the talent pipeline at a time when the world is grappling with an acute labor shortage.[1]
Last year, Deloitte surveyed over 1,800 respondents (35% tenured workers, 65% early career workers) from the United States, India, Canada, and Australia to understand AI’s impact on workers’ career pathways, growth, and learning opportunities. Our survey showed that early career workers are typically digital natives and report greater AI knowledge than other worker groups. However, they also face the risk of AI automating many of the tasks they typically handle, potentially leading to a decrease in entry-level job openings and limited opportunities for on-the-job learning. As organizations strive to stay competitive in today’s era, it’s important for them to manage early career talent.
Let’s dive deeper into how organizations can attract and engage early career talent in the age of AI using some key learnings from our survey:
Most early career workers are excited about AI’s potential to make work better...
About 80% of surveyed early career workers are excited about the opportunities AI can bring to their work (compared to 66% of tenured workers). Also, 75% of surveyed early career workers believe AI will create new job opportunities in their field (compared to 58% of tenured workers). Many early career respondents noted that AI tools have streamlined their workflows, allowing them to focus on more strategic tasks. They exhibit higher optimism and confidence not just about AI's current impact, but also about its future impact on their work experience, work quality, job satisfaction, and career growth opportunities.
…but beneath the surface of excitement, there lies some anxiety and fear of job displacement amongst workers
With AI automating foundational tasks traditionally handled by professionals with less work experience, early career workers note their top concerns being AI’s impact on their learning and development opportunities. Also, both early career workers (77%) and tenured workers (67%) noted that AI raises expectations for what workers should achieve in their early-level roles, including performing more complex and strategic tasks. Amidst rising expectations from responding early career workers, having fewer on-the-job training and developmental opportunities was reported as raising further concerns about job displacement.
Workers continue to experience challenges while integrating AI in their routine
According to a recent report, while 96% of C-suite leaders surveyed believe AI will boost productivity, 77% of employees using AI tools reported increased workloads and nearly 50% of respondents are unsure how to leverage these tools to achieve expected productivity gains.[2] Our research, too, shows that AI users cite challenges with an increased workload from learning new tools, adhering to safety protocols, and conducting quality checks. Other challenges include concerns about AI's efficacy and the quality of its output, a perceived lack of teamwork and human interaction, and a potential loss of personal touch in the workplace.
Early career workers are taking steps to minimize the impacts of AI
Despite integration challenges, our survey shows that early career workers remain positive about AI and actively pursue multiple ways to mitigate potential career disruptions, compared to more tenured workers. These workers prioritize building both technical proficiency and essential human capabilities, actively pursuing skills such as programming and AI fluency, as well as communication, teamwork and leadership.
Furthermore, they exhibit a greater openness to non-traditional career paths, with many considering entrepreneurship or contracting roles to navigate the AI landscape. Roughly a third of early career workers are considering starting their own business, such as a full-time software developer turning to freelance work. 24% of surveyed early career workers are interested in becoming full-time contractors or moving to less tech-dependent industries to minimize AI's impact on their careers. Other research suggests that 1 in 6 young workers in the US (between 16-26 years old) may switch from a white-collar career to a blue-collar career in the future, citing fears of AI’s effect on office jobs.[3] This is giving rise to the so-called “toolbelt generation”.[4]
Championing early career workers for an AI-driven future
Early career workers represent a crucial segment of the workforce, with the experience, skills, and enthusiasm to lead the future. About half of surveyed early career workers consider themselves to be advanced AI-users and 91% of them already use AI at work. Organizations could adopt a holistic approach to leverage their capabilities while addressing potential anxieties:
· Leverage AI tools for learning and career growth: Implement AI-driven learning platforms that adapt to individual skill levels, providing personalized training experiences.
· Foster mentorship and apprenticeship: Prioritize mentorship programs that strengthen development across all job levels. Pair early career workers with experienced mentors to facilitate knowledge transfer and provide guidance in navigating career paths.
· Cultivate human capabilities: Nurture skills such as creativity, emotional intelligence, and collaboration, which are essential in an AI-enhanced workplace. Workshops and team-building activities can help develop these human-centric skills.
· Support non-traditional career paths: Embrace and promote diverse career trajectories to attract and retain the best career talent. Offering flexible work arrangements and opportunities for entrepreneurship can appeal to some of the workforce’s desire for varied experiences.
Early-career workers represent an important pipeline of future leaders and influencers in their organizations. How will you harness this workforce to navigate and maximize the potential of AI in your organization?
—Abha Kulkarni, Research Specialist
—-Brad Kreit, Research Leader
[1] https://www.conference-board.org/topics/global-labor-market-outlook/press/global-labor-market-outlook-2024
[2] https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/topics/talent/ai-in-the-workplace.html
[3] https://www.intelligent.com/fearing-an-ai-takeover-1-in-6-gen-zers-may-switch-to-blue-collar-careers/
[4] https://www.supplyht.com/articles/105974-the-rise-of-the-toolbelt-generation-creates-opportunities-for-distributors