The past few weeks have been noisy with bad news about recent graduates and their chances in the labor market.
Using IPUMS data, The Atlantic reports that unemployment for recent grads—normally much lower than the overall unemployment rate—is rising fast. “Today’s college graduates are entering an economy that is relatively worse for young college grads than any month on record, going back at least four decades.” One explanation is that firms are relying on AI to do much of the work that employers have traditionally used early-career workers for, like summarizing reports and data or creating first drafts of presentations.
Also, the New York Times has a piece titled “For Some Recent Graduates, the A.I. Job Apocalypse May Already Be Here,” citing similar data and also anecdotes with tech executives who say they “have stopped hiring anything below an L5 software engineer — a midlevel title typically given to programmers with three to seven years of experience — because lower-level tasks could now be done by A.I. coding tools.”
The biggest news came from the CEO of Anthropic, who anticipates a “bloodbath” for white-collar workers within the next five years, as AI takes on more and more of their tasks.
Right now I am a co-op at Lightcast (similar to an internship) and this news has naturally made me a little worried. I looked into our job posting data to see what some of the top skills are that are being requested for entry level jobs, and their exposure to AI.
Here are the top skills required for entry-level jobs overall:
Communication
Customer Service
Management
Top specialized skills required for entry-level tech jobs:
Computer Science
Data Analysis
Technical Support
How does that compare with the top specialized skills for the overall tech sector?
Computer Science
Agile Methodology
Automation
Can AI do those? Let’s take them in order:
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Computer Science |
Many subsections of Computer Science can be augmented or partially automated, however the field as a whole is large and requires critical thinking and deep technical judgement which AI currently cannot fully replicate. Some coding tasks are capable of being automated, but systems architecture and complex algorithm design will still need people. |
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Data Analysis |
Data analysis does have a higher exposure to AI, since data cleaning, trend spotting, and predictions can be done using AI algorithms and tools. Although advanced interpretation and insight generation can benefit from human intervention, AI is still automating many of the routine aspects of this skill. |
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Technical Support |
AI is capable of diagnosing common issues, however as a whole, complex issues or working with people on an emotional level is something that still requires human interactions. |
So am I worried AI will replace me? Not yet.
Lightcast data indicates that AI is a skill and tool that people can use to augment their capabilities rather than replace them. That’s in contrast to what we see in the articles above, where AI has been framed as a direct threat to jobs, especially in technical fields like software engineering and information technology. That’s not just supported by the data.
The thing that would worry me more would be if employers stopped hiring entry-level workers because they thought they could replace humans with AI. That would be more of a threat if entry-level workers only needed hard skills like coding languages, but the job postings tell a different story: the skills that employers are looking for are changing.
While technical skills like Java and JavaScript were previously top priorities, today's employers are increasingly valuing human-centered abilities like innovation, leadership, and communication. Ultimately, we know that job postings that request AI skills are also those that request important human skills. Here are the top 10 skills for all jobs that require at least one AI skill (this is a preview of research Lightcast is putting out later this summer).
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Skill name |
Description |
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Communication is the ability to effectively interact, convey information, and collaborate with others in a clear and understandable manner. |
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This skill encompasses the development of algorithms and models that enable machines to perform tasks such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, and understanding natural language. |
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Management is a set of skills that involve a variety of tasks, such as planning, organizing, leading, and controlling resources to achieve specific goals. |
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Machine Learning is a subset of artificial intelligence that involves the development of algorithms and statistical models that enable systems to perform tasks without explicit instructions. |
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Leadership is a skill that involves the ability to motivate and guide a team towards achieving common goals. |
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Research is a skill that involves gathering and analyzing information to answer questions or solve problems. It involves identifying reliable sources of information, evaluating the credibility of those sources, and synthesizing the information to draw meaningful conclusions. |
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Machine Learning is a subset of artificial intelligence that involves the development of algorithms and statistical models that enable systems to perform tasks without explicit instructions. |
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Customer service is a necessary and common skill in almost every field and industry. It involves effectively communicating with customers to understand their needs, answering their questions or concerns, and providing them with excellent support and service. |
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Writing is a skill that involves putting thoughts and ideas into words through the use of language. It is an essential communication tool used to convey messages, express thoughts and emotions, and share information. |
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Problem solving is the process of identifying, analyzing and resolving problems that can arise in any situation. It involves identifying the root cause of a problem, generating possible solutions, evaluating those solutions and implementing the best one. |
Source: Lightcast Skills Taxonomy
Only two of those skills are AI related! So as important as it is to learn the fundamentals of computer science, data analysis, and technical support, an AI future in the job market is one that prioritizes communication, leadership, research, and problem solving.
So I’ll be working on that. As I look ahead to entering the job market in the age of AI, I want to do two things at the same time: First, learning to use AI tools effectively, treating them as powerful assistants rather than threats. Second, doubling down on the human skills that make AI useful in the first place—critical thinking, creativity, emotional intelligence, and the ability to translate between technical and non-technical work.
And if you happen to be hiring for a job that requires critical thinking, adaptability, and a background in computer science and economics, I think we could have a lot to talk about.
Only two of those skills are AI related! So as important as it is to learn the fundamentals of computer science, data analysis, and technical support, an AI future in the job market is one that prioritizes communication, leadership, research, and problem solving.
So I’ll be working on that. As I look ahead to entering the job market in the age of AI, I want to do two things at the same time: First, learning to use AI tools effectively, treating them as powerful assistants rather than threats. Second, doubling down on the human skills that make AI useful in the first place—critical thinking, creativity, emotional intelligence, and the ability to translate between technical and non-technical work.
So if you happen to be hiring for a job that requires critical thinking, adaptability, and a background in computer science and economics, I think we could have a lot to talk about.
Thanks for reading On The Job. Be sure to catch up on our past issues, including "Return-To-Office is Creating Two Classes of Worker," and "The Next Great Resignation,“ and you can also subscribe here. Special thanks to Vishy Kamalapuram for writing this issue.
