- CEOs are freezing “first-timer” hires as AI reshapes workflows and automates entry-level tasks, a career coach to the Fortune 500 warns. Gen Z grads who position themselves as problem-solvers and AI-literate innovators will stand out—and land the roles that remain.
From OpenAI’s Sam Altman to Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, tech leaders keep sounding the alarm that entire professions could be wiped out by AI in the next 5 years—and entry-level workers are first in line.
Unfortunately, it’s not exclusive to the tech industry, where 82,000 employees have already been laid off.
Looming disruption really is playing out in boardrooms, where Bill Hoogterp is often a fly on the wall: He has spent decades advising thousands of executives, many of whom appear on Fortune’s lists of the most powerful people in business—and he confirmed what workers are already suspecting.
“There’s definitely pausing on a lot of jobs,” Hoogterp told Fortune, adding that while it’s not quite jobs armageddon, AI is making leaders question the value of new hires in particular.
“They’re saying, ‘hey, we’re not going to hire a lot of first-time lawyers or first-time this or first-time that’, so that’s a huge change, but teams within the company are still hiring,” he said.
Even then, it’s no longer one in, one out. With economic uncertainty, advancing technology, and cost-cutting pressures, there has never been more scrutiny on new hires.
“They’re looking for people who can solve a problem. They’re not creating jobs for the sake of creating jobs,” Hoogterp stressed—and that, could be an opportunity for Gen Z grads who are stuck in limbo. “They need somebody to get something done, and you want to be the one who can get it done.”
Gen Z NEETs should ask themselves: What does the world need?
Over 4 million Gen Zers are currently NEETs—not in employment, education, or training. Breaking in isn’t going to get any easier: employers know that by the time a first-timer is trained up, AI could already have churned out the needed code, copy, or data analysis. Some of the most common starter jobs, like coding, are already disappearing. The situation is even more dire for those who have spent years studying at college, only to find the job they trained for can now be done cheaper and faster by a robot.
Hoogterp says it’s why Gen Z grads need to ask themselves: “What are you good at? What does the world need? Look at where they intersect and where they overlap—that’s really going to be your magic zone to pursue.”
Instead of applying for jobs that only match your credentials, take a more holistic view of your skills and qualifications and see if there’s a gap in the market that you could fill.
Hoogterp is adamant that AI will create new roles. Just as copywriters now use a laptop instead of a typewriter; designers rely on Adobe Photoshop instead of a pen and paper; and a plethora of IT roles were created along the way.
But employers won’t invent positions just to keep Gen Z busy—new jobs will only exist if they genuinely drive value.
“You work, they pay you. That’s the deal,” he added. “So look at what they need done, because if they’re not having these jobs, then they might have other jobs.”
Mark Cuban recently echoed that opportunities are only growing for Gen Z who embrace AI—and teach boomer bosses how to implement tools like OpenAI in their business. “That is every single job that’s going to be available for kids coming out of school,” the billionaire insisted.
While fears about AI replacing jobs remain a concern among workers, it’s least likely to impact those who choose to dive headfirst into using AI every day, Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang agreed. “Every job will be affected, and immediately. It is unquestionable,” Huang said at the Milken Institute’s Global Conference earlier this year. “You’re not going to lose your job to an AI, but you’re going to lose your job to someone who uses AI.”
