If I were an entry-level worker trying to break into the job market today, the best place to join might be, counterintuitively, an early-stage AI tech startup.
You might already know that entry-level jobs are amongst the most impacted by AI, particularly if you happen to be in a profession that AI directly affects, like software engineering. Stanford's Canaries Dashboard tracks this and found that the employment gap for early-career workers (ages 22–25) in the most AI-exposed occupations has widened to ~20% since ChatGPT launched.
You might also believe that AI will reduce the number of people required in a company, and lead to the rise of single-person billion-dollar startups with AI agents doing the majority of the work.
BUT that's not what seems to be happening in reality.
A recent collaborative study by Revelio Labs and Ramp shows that the companies spending the most on AI adoption also happen to be the same companies hiring the most entry-level workers.
And the companies represented here are mostly VC-backed, early-stage tech startups, not Fortune 500 companies (as that is what the majority of Ramp's customers are.)
Source: https://www.reveliolabs.com/news/ai-and-work/greater-ai-investment-more-hiring
My read is that these companies are flush with cash and pursuing high-growth opportunities, so today they have the financial freedom to spend heavily on both AI tools and people. It is only later, once growth matures and cost pressures set in, that they will have to make critical decisions on where to optimize their spend across AI and people.
Either way, this represents the best window for entry-level workers. Not only are there positions to aim for, but you can also gain valuable experience in a high-growth startup. Here is a great list of AI startups hiring today if you are looking: https://lnkd.in/p/gRHP4A2A