IS AI KILLING ENTRY-LEVEL JOBS? 1 IN 3 UK EMPLOYERS SAY YES

Sat 29 August 2026:

Over a third of UK employers have cut the number of entry-level roles open to 16- to 24-year-olds in the past year, a new report published on Wednesday shows.

An analysis of a Survation survey of 1,001 senior UK business leaders, commissioned by the Work Foundation at Lancaster University, found that 36% had reduced these positions for young people over the previous 12 months.

Almost half of medium-sized (48%) and large employers (46%) reported cuts, compared with 24% of small employers, according to the study.

Meanwhile, nearly three-quarters (73%) said the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) was a “national crisis,” while 76% said employers had a responsibility to do more to support young people into work.

“Just over two in five employers (43%) report having invested in AI or automation that has reduced the number of entry-level roles available, rising to 60% among large employers.”

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Following the findings, researchers called on the government to press ahead with reforms aimed at making work more secure, create additional good-quality jobs and provide practical, local support to employers to help them hire, particularly smaller firms.

The survey also found that just over two in five employers (44%) had used AI or automated systems to screen applications, while 43% said investment in AI or automation had reduced the number of entry-level roles.

“Young people are entering one of the toughest labour markets in years, facing intense competition for a shrinking number of entry-level jobs and fewer opportunities to get a secure foothold in work,” said Ben Harrison, director of the Work Foundation at Lancaster University.