AI与早期职业生涯：在AI增强型劳动力市场中做出职业决策研究

AIAND

EARLYCAREERS

Makingcareerdecisions

inanAI-augmented

labourmarket

Introduction

AIANDEARLYCAREERS2

AsAItoolsbecomemoreembeddedacrosssectors,thereisgrowing

uncertaintyabouthowlabourmarketopportunities,entry-levelroles,andtheskillsrequiredforworkarechanging.Thisresearchaimstoprovideaclear,evidence-basedpictureofhowAIisbeginningto

influenceearlycareerdecisionmakingamongyoungpeopleintheUK.Wedothisbyexaminingtwoconnectedperspectives:

2.HowemployersanticipateAIreshapingentrylevelroles,includingexpectedchangestotasksandskillrequirements.

1.HowyoungpeopleandearlycareerrespondentsperceiveAI’simpactontheirfutureemployment,including

whethertheyarechanging

orreconsideringtheircareerplans,howpreparedtheyfeel,andwhatsupporttheybelievetheyneed.

AlongsidedatafromrecruitmentteamsgatheredbytheInstituteofStudent

Employers(ISE),wedrawonProspects’

surveyofmorethan700youngpeopletoexaminehowtheirviewsontheimpactofAIcomparewithemployers’assessments.

Together,thesedatasetsallowusto

diagnoseemergingtrendsinlabour

marketsentimentandtoidentify

practicalimplicationsforuniversities,

careersservices,andemployerspreparingstudentsandearlycareercandidatesforalabourmarketbeingactivelyreshapedbywidespreadAIadoption.

Context

AIANDEARLYCAREERS3

Whiletechnologicalchangehasalwayspromptedanxietyaboutjobdisplacement,automationrisksweretraditionallyassociatedwithmanualorroutinework,withprofessional,creativeandanalytical

rolesgenerallyviewedasmoreresilient.Thegrowingpublic

awarenessofthecapabilitiesoflargelanguagemodels(LLMs)andgenerativeartificialintelligence(AI)inrecentyearshasunsettledthatassumption,raisingcrediblequestionsaboutexposureinwhitecollar,entry-levelroles.

1

Throughout2025,labourmarketconditionsaddedtothisuncertaintyasmanyemployersdelayedinvestmentand,insomecases,pausedrecruitmentinresponsetowidereconomicpressures.

2

Inthiscontext,AIadoptionbecameaconvenientexplanationforthereductionin

entry-levelopportunities.

However,despitewidespreadreportsaboutAIreplacinggraduate

roles,availableevidencetellsanotherstory,withmostemployers

indicatingthatmacroeconomicpressureshaveplayedaclearerroleinhiringdecisions.

3

Thisreportsitswithinthatcontext,aimingtoprovideadata-led

viewofwhereAIisalreadyinfluencingearlycareersbydocumentingbothwhatyoungpeoplesaytheyaredoingandfeeling,andwhatemployersreporttheyarechangingorplanning.

Dataexplained

AIANDEARLYCAREERS4

Between10Novemberand4December2025,Prospectssurveyed

710Prospects.ac.uk

userstounderstandhowyoungpeople

andthoseintheirearlycareersperceivetheimpactofartificial

intelligenceontheirlabourmarketopportunitiesandcareerplans.

Genderidentity

Woman64%Man28%

Non-binary2%

Overall,respondentstendedtobe

young,withthemajority(64%)being

women.Theywerealsomorelikely

tocomefromrelativelyprivileged

socioeconomicbackgrounds,withthose

fromlessadvantagedhouseholdsbeing

underrepresentedinoursurvey.Aquarterofparticipantsreportedhavingadisability.

Mostrespondentswerestudyingatthetimeofthesurvey,witharoundhalf

enrolledinuniversityandathirdbeing

inschool,sixthformorcollege.Onein

tenrespondentswereinemployment–85%ofwhomheldadegree,reflectingthegraduateorientatednatureofthe

Prospectsaudience–whileafurther11%identifiedasjobseekers.

Whichofthesebestdescribesyou?

48%

32%

11%

9%

Universitystudent

School,sixthformorcollegestudent

Jobseeker

Employed

AIANDEARLYCAREERS5

Tocomplementthestudentandearly

careerperspectives,ISEgathered

knowledgefrom30ofitsmember

organisationsbetween19November

2025and9January2026.Theemployersampleprovidesvaluablequalitative

insightintohoworganisationsare

approachingAIadoptionandwhere

theyanticipatechangesinjobdesign,

skillsrequirements,andcandidate

expectations.Nevertheless,findings

shouldbeinterpretedasindicativeratherthanrepresentative.

Ageofrespondents

13-154%

16-1829%

19-2439%

25-3413%

35-447%

45-545%

55-642%

65+0%

Ethnicity

57%

20%

13%

White

Mixedormultipleethnic

AsianorAsianBritish

BlackorBlackBritish

Otherethnicgroup

5%

3%

IsAIinfluencingcareerplans?

AIANDEARLYCAREERS6

Weaskedrespondentsaseriesofquestionstounderstandhowtheir

perceptionsofAI’sroleinthelabourmarkethaveinfluencedtheircareerplans.Overall,13%saidtheyhadchangedtheircareerplans

becauseofAI,comparedwithjust10%ofrespondentstoProspects’2025EarlyCareersSurvey.

4

Afurtherthirdsaidthattheyhad

consideredchangingtheirplansbuthadnotmadeanydecisionsatthetimeofthesurvey.

HaveyouchangedyourcareerplansbecauseofAI?

13%

48%

34%

4%

Yes

No

I’veconsideredit,buthaven’tchangedyet

Idon’thaveanycareerplans

Somegroupsweremorelikelythan

otherstoreportachangeindirection.Forinstance,olderrespondentsweremore

likelytosaythattheyhadalteredtheircareerplans,with18%ofthoseover35indicatingthis,comparedwith14%ofthoseaged25to34and12%ofthoseunder25.

Similarly,amonguniversitystudents,

thosestudyingatpostgraduatelevel

werethemostlikelyreportchangingtheircareersplans.

Changeofcareerplansbylevelofstudy

UniversityStudents

Undergraduatedegree,e.g.BA,BSc

Postgraduate

21%

35%

4%

4%

39%

9%

33%

54%

39%

44%

2%

15%

Yes

No

I’veconsideredit,buthaven’tchangedyet

Idon’thaveanycareerplans

AIANDEARLYCAREERS7

Genderdifferenceswerealsoevident:

womenweremoresettledintheirplans,with11%reportingachangecomparedwith17%ofmen.Womenwerealso

slightlymorelikelytosaytheirplanshadnotbeeninfluencedbyAI(54%vs51%),

whilearoundathirdofbothmenand

womensaidtheyhadonlyconsidered

makingachange.Interestingly,despitemenbeingmorelikelytosaythey

hadchangedtheircareerplans,they

appearedmoreoptimisticoverall.MenweremorelikelytosaytheyfeltexcitedaboutAI’simpact(19%vs11%)andlesslikelytoreportanxiety(22%vs29%)orunhappiness(11%vs15%).

Thisunderlineshowimportantitisto

notequateachangeofcareerplans

withanegativeoutcome.Whilefearanduncertaintywerecommonemotions,a

notableproportionofthosewhochangeddirectionalsofeltcuriousorexcitedaboutemergingopportunitieslinkedtoAI.

Theexperiencesofdisabledrespondentsfurtherillustratesthisnuance.Only8%reportedchangingtheircareerplans,

yettheyweresignificantlymorelikelytosaytheyhadconsidereddoingso(45%

vs33%fornon-disabledrespondents).ThissuggeststhatAIhasgeneratedheighteneduncertaintyfordisabledrespondentscomparedwiththeir

non-disabledpeers.

Despitebeinglesslikelytochange

theirplans,disabledrespondentsweresubstantiallymorepessimisticoverall:

theyweretwiceaslikelytosaytheyfelt

unhappyaboutAI’sroleintheirfuture

careers(22%vs11%)and1.3times

aslikelytoreportanxiety.Bycontrast,

respondentswithoutadisabilitywere

slightlymorelikelytoexpresscuriosityandwerethreetimesaslikelytosaytheyfeltexcitedaboutAI’sfutureimpact.

Keytakeawayforuniversitiesandcareersprofessionals

Thesefindingsemphasisetheneedformoretargetedsupportfor

thosewithdisabilities.Whileitisunderstandablethattheymayfeel

morepessimisticabouttheircareerprospectsamidrapidtechnologicalchange,itisimportanttohighlightthewaysinwhichincreasedAI

adoptionintheworkplacecansupportandexpandtheiropportunities.

Forinstance,thereareagrowingsetofdisability-centredand

environment-adaptinginnovations-fromAI-poweredhearingandspeechtools,andreal-timeaccesssolutionsfordeafandvisuallyimpairedusers,toaccessiblejob-searchinterfaces,integratedGPSsupport,andbias-reducingjob-matchingservices.

Additionally,meta-level‘assistivetechmatchers’arealsoimproving

thefitbetweenindividuals’needsandthetoolsavailable,while

newjobmodelsdemonstratehowAIcanexpandlabourmarket

participation.

5

Together,thesedevelopmentshighlightpracticalroutesthroughwhichdisabledindividualscanbeencouragedtoseeAIasanenablerratherthanabarrier.

Whatfactorsaremotivatingthatchange?

AIANDEARLYCAREERS8

Tobetterunderstandthemotivationsofthosesayingthattheyhave

changedtheircareerplansbecauseofAI,weaskedrespondentstoexplainhowAIhadinfluencedtheirdecision.

HowhasAIinfluencedyourchangeofcareerplans?

69%

57%

36%

32%

29%

22%

20%

4%

JobmaybereplacedbyAI

JobroleisbeingreshapedbyAI

LearningnewAIskills

Pursuingahigher-payingrole

AIhasopenedupanewcareer

AskedanAItoolforcareersadvice

Changedmysubjectchoices

Other

ThemostcommonreasoncitedwasthefearthatAIcouldreplacetheirjob,reportedby69%ofthosewhohadchangedtheirplans.Afurther57%saidtheywereconcerned

thattheirrolewouldbereshapedbyAI.

Alongsidetheseconcerns,however,

respondentsalsoidentifiedmorepositive

drivers:36%saidtheirplanshadevolved

becausetheyhadlearnednewAIskills,

29%reportedthatAIhadopenedupnew

opportunities,andathirdsaidtheywerenowpursuingahigher-payingrolerelatedtoAI.

However,thereweresomenotable

differencesbetweengroups.

6

Forinstance,employedrespondentswithapostgraduatequalification(73%)werelessinclined

thanundergraduates(86%)tosaytheir

career-planchangesweredrivenbyconcernsaboutjobreplacement,andmoreinclined

toviewAIasreshaping-ratherthan

threatening-theirfutureroles(73%vs57%).

Furthermore,theywerenearlythree

timesaslikelytosaythattheirplans

hadevolvedastheylearnednewAIskills(40%vs14%),1.4timesaslikelytoreportthatAIhadopenednewopportunitiesforthem(40%vs29%),andtwiceaslikely

toreportpursuingahigher-payingcareerbecauseofAI(33%vs14%).

Asimilarpatternwasevidentbygender.

AlthoughmenweremorelikelytoindicatethattheyhadchangedtheircareerplansbecauseofAI,theywerealsomorelikelythanwomentosaytheircareer-plan

changeswereinfluencedbylearningnewAIskillsorbyemergingopportunities,

reinforcingthatmotivationsforchange

arenotsolelydrivenbyriskorafearofAI’sroleintheirfuturecareers.

HowisAImakingearlycareersparticipantsfeel?

AIANDEARLYCAREERS9

RespondentswereaskedhowtheyfeelaboutAI’sroleintheirfuturecareers.Overall,curiosity(34%)andanxiety(27%)werethetwomostcommonlyexpressedfeelings-capturingthemixtureofinterestand

concernthattypicallycharacterisespublicattitudestowardAI.Whilesomerespondentsreportedfeelingunhappy(16%),excited(13%)orindifferent(9%),mosttendedtofallintooneofthesetwodominantemotionalresponses.

HowdoyoufeelaboutAI’sroleinyourfuturecareer?(bywhethercareerplanshavechanged)

39%

31%

25%

20%

13%

11%

5%

ExcitedCurious

18%13%

Unhappy

13%

4%

Indifferent

YesNoI’veconsideredit,buthaven’tchangedyet

26%

21%

23%

35%

Anxious

Amongthosewhoreportedthatthey

hadchangedtheircareerplansbecauseofAI,feelingsweremorepolarised.Theirresponseswerespreadfairlyevenlyacrosstheemotionalcategories.Thisgroupwasthemostlikelytosaytheyfeltexcited

(20%)butalsothemostlikelytosaytheyfeltunhappy(23%).Thisreinforcesthe

ideathatcareerplanchangescanstemfrombothpositivemotivations(

i.e.new

opportunitiesornewskills)andnegativeones(i.e.fearoruncertainty).

Ontheotherhand,thosewhohadnot

changedtheircareerplansweremostlikelytosaythattheyfeltcuriousaboutAI’sroleintheirfuturecareer-moresothanany

othergroup.ThosewhohadconsideredacareerchangebutwereyettomakeadecisionwerethemostlikelytoreportfeelinganxiousaboutAI’sroleintheirfuturecareers,indicatingaheightenedsenseofuncertainty.

AIANDEARLYCAREERS10

HowdoyoufeelaboutAI’sroleinyourfuturecareer?(byage)

30%

22%

18%

7%8%

IndifferentAnxious

31%

21%18%

10%

Excited

36%

9%

Curious

19%

13%

7%

Unhappy

Under2525-3435+

46%

Therewerealsocleardifferences

inemotionalresponsesbetween

demographicgroups.Forinstance,we

foundapositivecorrelationbetween

ageandfeelingsofbothexcitementandcuriosityaboutAI’sfuturerole.

Likewise,asimilarpatternemergedby

currentstageofstudy,with21%ofthosestudyingforapostgraduatequalificationreportingthattheywereexcited,comparedwith18%ofthoseonanundergraduate

courseand7%ofthoseinschool,sixth

formorcollege.Afifthofthoseinschoolorcollegesaidthattheyfeltunhappy

aboutAI’sroleintheirfuturecareers,

comparedwith14%ofthoseonan

undergraduatecourseand9%studyingforapostgraduatequalification.

Thesepatternsaligncloselywith

respondents’perceptionsoftheir

preparedness.WhenaskedhowwelltheircurrenteducationwaspreparingthemforafuturewithAI,justoverhalfsaidthat

theywerebeingprepared‘fairly’,or‘very’well.Postgraduatestudentswerethemostconfident,withtwo‑thirdssayingtheyfelt‘fairly’(44%)or‘well’(21%)prepared.

Bycontrast,thosestudyingforalevel3

qualification(38%)weretheleastlikely

tosaythattheyfeltprepared–45%of

schoolpupilsreportedthattheywerebeing‘fairly’(39%)or‘very’(6%)wellprepared.

7

AIANDEARLYCAREERS11

HowwellisyourcurrenteducationpreparingyouforafuturewithAI?

32%30%

27%

2%

Notverywell

GCSE

29%29%

21%

FairlywellVerywell

ALevelUGPG

20%17%

10%

Notatall

46%

39%

9%9%

6%

4%

12%9%

6%

Don’tknow/Notapplicable

44%

Levelofeducationalattainment

alsoshapedthewaythatemployed

respondentsperceivedtheimpactofAIontheirfuturecareers.Emotionsvariedwidelybyqualification,reflectingdifferences

inconfidence,skills,andperceived

preparednessforanAIaugmentedlabourmarket.Toillustratethis,postgraduates,weremorelikelythanundergraduatestosaythatAIhadpromptedachangein

theircareerplans(28%vs18%),andalsoindicatedthattheyweremorelikelytofeelexcited(15%)orcurious(41%)aboutAI’sroleintheirfuturecareers(8%and27%forundergraduates).

Takentogetherwiththeearlierfindingsonmotivations,thissuggeststhatthosewhofeltbetterequipped-whetherthrough

qualifications,priorexperienceoremergingAIskills-weremoreinclinedtosee

opportunitywhenconsideringAI’sroleintheirfuturecareer,ratherthanathreat.

Inotherwords,emotionalresponsesappeartocoincidewithindividuals’perceptions

ofwheretheyfitwithinanAI‑augmentedlabourmarket:confidenceinskillsand

qualificationsisassociatedwithcuriosityandopportunity-seeking,whilethosewhofeellesspreparedaremorelikelytoexpressuncertaintyandcaution.

Thishighlightsjusthowimportantitisthatcurriculumsacrossalllevelsofeducation

incorporateAIliteracyandskills-apointechoedstronglyinrespondents’views

aboutthesupporttheyfeeltheyneed.

Reskillingversusupskilling

AIANDEARLYCAREERS12

WhichindustriesdoyouthinkwillbemostaffectedbyAI?

35%

35%30%

28%

27%

23%

21%

16%

14%

11%

10%

7%

6%

4%

4%

4%

3%

2%

2%

2%

1%

1%

0%

0%

1%

Technology

Creative

Information,researchandanalysis

Education MediaMarketingBusiness

HRandrecruitmentFinance

DefenceandsecurityEngineeringandmanufacturing

Scienceand pharmaceuticalsHealthandsocialcare

Law

SalesTransportandlogisticsRetail

PublicservicesEnvironmentandagricultureEnergy

Skilledtradesandcrafts

Hospitality,sportandtourismCharity

Propertyandconstruction

Notsure

AIANDEARLYCAREERS13

Therelationshipbetweenperceived

readinessandrespondents’senseofhow

theyfitintoanAI‑augmentedlabour

marketalsoemergedwhenwelookedatthosewhoreportedchangingtheircareerplansbecauseofAI.Weaskedthese

respondentstoidentify(1)thecareers

theyoriginallyintendedtopursueand(2)

thecareerstheywerenowaimingforasaresultofAI.

Thecareersrespondentsmostcommonlyreportedoriginallywantingtopursuewere:

•Businessandfinanceprofessionals

•Technologyandengineeringprofessionals

•Translatorsandinterpreters

Whenweturntothecareerpathsthey

werenowconsidering,thedatasuggestsaninterestingdynamic:changesin

directionoftenreflectnotonlyperceptionsofwhichsectorswillbemostaffected

byAI,butalsorespondents’confidenceintheirabilitytoadaptasthesesectorsbecomeincreasinglyAI-integrated.

Forexamplemost(59%)respondentswhooriginallyplannedtoworkintechnology

orengineeringindicatedthattheywere

stillaimingforcareersintheirrespectivefields.Althoughtoalesserextent,asimilarpatternwasobservedamongthosewho

originallyintendedtopursuecareersin

businessandfinance,withjustoverathird(36%)indicatingthattheywerecontinuingonthesamepath.

Moreover,whenweexaminehowAI

hasinfluencedthenatureofthese

changes,wefindthat,despitefearsofjobdisplacement,manyrespondentsdescribedadaptingtheirplansinwaysthatwould

allowthemtoworkalongsideAIrather

thanavoidit.Fortheserespondents,careeradjustmentsappeartobedrivenlessby

retreatfromAI-affectedsectorsandmorebyanefforttopositionthemselvesto

operatemoreeffectivelywithinthem.

Businessand

financeresponses:

Technologyand

•74%fearedtheirjobmaybereplacedbyAI

•57%saidtheirjobrolewasbeingreshapedbyAI

•44%wereinfluencedtochangecareerplansbecausetheywerelearningnewAIskills

•39%werenowpursuinga

higherpayingAIrelatedrole

•30%feltAIhadopenednewopportunities.

engineeringresponses:

•56%fearedtheirjobmaybereplacedbyAI

•56%saidtheirjobrolewasbeingreshapedbyAI

•52%wereinfluencedtochangecareerplansbecausetheywerelearningnewAIskills

•36%werenowpursuinga

higherpayingAIrelatedrole

•25%feltAIhadopenednewopportunities.

AIANDEARLYCAREERS14

However,whenweturnourattentiontothosewhointendedtobecometranslatorsorinterpreters,thepictureismarkedly

morepessimistic.Everyrespondentinthiscategoryreportedswitchingtoadifferentindustryaltogether,witheachofthem

citingconcernsthattheirjobscouldbereplacedbyAI.

Thiscompleteshiftawayfromtheir

originalcareerplanshighlightsanintensesenseofvulnerability,aswellasalower

perceivedcapacitytoadaptwithinan

AIenabledversionoftheirfield.While

translatorsandinterpretershaveclear

reasonstofeelmorepessimisticthan

othergroups-givenrapidimprovementsinreal-timetranslationtechnologies-thereremaincrediblepathwaysforadaptation.

Routinetranslationworkisincreasingly

automated,butdemandpersists

forhumanexpertiseinhigh-stakes,

specialised,orculturallysensitivecontextswhereaccuracy,trust,andinterpersonal

nuancearecritical(

e.g.post-editing

,

qualityassurance,andcontextual

interpretation).Intheseniches,softskillsanddomainknowledgebecomeevenmoreimportantthanbefore.

Thispinpointsanimportantpointof

interventionforcareersandemployabilityprofessionals.AI-adaptableskillsmay

befarmoreidentifiableforstudents

pursuingcareersindigitallyintensivefieldsthanthoseinindustriesthataremore

vulnerabletoAI-displacement(e.g.creativeindustries,translatorsandinterpreters).

Thedataconcerningthoseoriginally

intendingonpursuingcareersin

technologyandengineeringorbusinessandfinanceillustratesthisclearly.For

instance,thoseoriginallypursuingcareersintechnologyandengineeringwere

markedlylesslikelythantheothersto

saythatAIinfluencedtheircareerplansbecausetheyhadlearnednewAIskills,

yettheyweremorelikelytoreportthatAIhadopenednewopportunitiesandthattheywerenowaimingforhigher-payingAI-relatedroles.

Whilebusinessandfinancestudentsoftenpossessastrongbaselineofdigitalskills,

thoseintechnologyandengineeringare

typicallybetterpositionedtotranslate

theseskillsintoAI_specificopportunities.

Bycontrast,respondentsfromcreative

orlinguisticallyorientedfieldsappear

tohavefarlessclarityabouthowtheir

existingcapabilitiescanbeadaptedinan

AI-augmentedlabourmarket.Thisdisparityhelpsexplainwhystudentsinmoretechnicalfieldsfeelbetterequippedtopursue

emergingAIrelatedroles,evenwhilebeingmorefearfulofpotentialjobdisplacement.

Thesefindingssuggestthatuniversitiesandcareersservicesmustplayamoreactive

roleinhelpingstudents-particularlythoseoutsideofhighly_digitisedfields_identify

andarticulatehowtheirskillscanbe

adaptedtoAI-integratedworkenvironments

Whatsupportdostudentswant?

AIANDEARLYCAREERS15

Weaskedrespondentsaboutwhatsupporttheyfeltthatthey

neededtofeelbetterpreparedforafuturewithAI.Throughan

analysisoftheiropentextresponses,wewereabletoidentifyseveralrecurringthemes.Inthissection,wefocusonthemostprominentones.

AISUPPORTREQUESTEDBYSTUDENTSATALLLEVELS

1.Practicalskillsandtraining

2.Up-to-dateinfo,trendsandcapabilities

3.Labourmarketimpactandcareerguidance

4.Ethics,privacyandresponsibleuse

5.Curriculumintegrationandpolicyclarity

Practicalskillsandtraining

Halfofrespondentsemphasisedtheneedforpractical,hands-on

supporttohelpthembuildconfidenceinusingAItools.Formany,

preparednesswascloselytiedtohavingopportunitiestoexperiment,learnthroughpractice,andreceivestructuredguidance.Others

expresseduncertaintyaboutwheretostartwithAI,notingthattheylackthefoundationalknowhowtoengagewithiteffectively.

“Tofeelmorepreparedforafuture

withAI,Iwouldvaluehands-on

learningopportunities,workshops,

andguidanceonusingAIresponsiblyindailylifeandwork.Supportin

developingdigitalandcriticalthinkingskillswouldhelpmeadapt,stay

relevant,anduseAItoolsconfidentlyandethically.”

“SupportwithhowtoeffectivelyuseAIassomeofmycoursematesuseAIfrequently…Iamnotsurewhatthebestwaytoapproach/useAIis.”

AIANDEARLYCAREERS16

Universitiesandcareersservicescan

playapivotalroleherebyprioritisingstructured,practicalopportunitiesforstudentstodevelopAIadaptableskills.

Moreover,short,hands-onworkshops,guidedlabs,andtoolspecificclinicscanhelpstudentsbuildconfidencewithcoreAIsupportedworkflows.

Introducingpracticalmicro-credentials,

suchaspromptengineeringfundamentals,

andembeddingdisciplinespecificpracticescenarioscanfurthersupportstudents

inunderstandinghowAIappliestotheirfield.Crucially,thiskindoftargeted,

appliedlearningislikelytobenefitthoseinnon-technicaldisciplinesthemost,

helpingthemrecognisehowtheirexistingstrengthscanbeadaptedforanAI

augmentedlabourmarket.

Up-to-dateinfo,trendsandcapabilities

Manyrespondentsstressedtheneedforclear,currentinformationaboutwhatAIcanandcannotdo,aswellasregularupdateson

emergingdevelopments.ThisneedisparticularlypressinggiventheprevalenceofalarmistnarrativessurroundingAIintheworkplace.

WithoutanaccurateunderstandingofhowAIisreshapingspecificsectors,studentsstruggletoassesstheirownreadinessoridentifywheretheymayneedtobuildnewskills.Inshort,informed

decision-makingdependsonaccesstocredible,up-to-datelabourmarketintelligence.

“HowAIiscurrentlybeingusedinindustriesandwhatitisbeingdevelopedtobecapableof.”

“MoreinformationsourcesabouthowAIischangingthejobmarketand

havinganimpactondifferentsectors.”

“BeinginformedonAIandits

currentcapabilities,currentuses,

governmentplansforAIinindustriesanddatacollection.”

Tomeetthisneeduniversitiesandcareersservicescanprovidevaluebypublishing

simple,regularlyupdatedguidancefor

students.Discipline‑specific‘AIinyour

field’briefscanoutlinecurrentcapabilities,limitations,andcommonfailuremodes,

helpingstudentscutthroughuncertaintyandmisinformation.

Furthermore,astudent-facingknowledgehubincludingtutorials,FAQsoncommonmisconceptions,andlinkstopracticetoolswouldensurethatstudentshaveaccesstocredible,up-to-datelabourmarket

intelligenceinoneplace.

Labourmarketimpactandcareerguidance

AIANDEARLYCAREERS17

BeyondwantinggeneralinformationonAI,manyrespondents

highlightedtheneedforclearercareerguidanceandgreater

transparencyfromemployersabouthowAIisaffectingtheirsectors.Studentswereparticularlyinterestedinunderstandingwhichroles

arelikelytoremain‘AI-resilient’,howjobrequirementsarechanging,andwhathumanscanstillofferinanincreasinglyautomatedlabourmarket.Withoutthisclarity,itbecomesdifficultforthemtoevaluaterisk,plancareerpathways,oridentifywheretofocusskilldevelopment.

“WhatkindofjobarelikelytobetakenbyAI…ShowwhatyoucandothatAIcan’tdo.”

“Clear,honestupdatesfromemployersabouthowAIwillbeusedandhowitmightaffectfutureemployees.”

“Ifeelanxiousaboutthedrop

inentry-levelroles,howIwillbe

affectedandwhatIcandoaboutit.”

Itisimportantthatyoungpeoplereceivepracticaladviceonhowtodifferentiate

themselvesthroughhumanstrengthssuchascriticalthinking,creativity,empathy,andstakeholderengagement.

Additionally,sharin