The Irish Times(@IrishTimes):Graduates and other new entrants to the world of work have had a rough few years. A cool labour market for everyone has been icy for the youngest, with hiring of junior workers lagging the more experienced across a wide range of countries. The early-career hiring pullback has been especially pronounced in white-collar work – software and other tech roles foremost among them – leading observers to point to an obvious culprit: the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) tools that can perform much of the work typically done by juniors, but are less able to replace the accumulated knowledge and experience of seasoned professionals. Read:

2026.07.30 19:16

Graduates and other new entrants to the world of work have had a rough few years. A cool labour market for everyone has been icy for the youngest, with hiring of junior workers lagging the more experienced across a wide range of countries. The early-career hiring pullback has been especially pronounced in white-collar work – software and other tech roles foremost among them – leading observers to point to an obvious culprit: the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) tools that can perform much of the work typically done by juniors, but are less able to replace the accumulated knowledge and experience of seasoned professionals. Read: