Recruiters say AI is taking over some entry-level jobs
A GMAC survey of 621 recruiters found one-third of employers are replacing entry-level roles with AI, with technology jobs most exposed.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
3 min read
A new recruiter survey points to AI pressure at the bottom of the career ladder, where many recent graduates get their start. The Graduate Management Admission Council said one-third of employers in its 2026 Corporate Recruiters Survey reported replacing entry-level jobs with AI.
GMAC surveyed 621 recruiters across 39 countries, and 53% of respondents hire for Global Fortune 100 or Fortune 500 companies, according to the report. The finding adds evidence that early-career workers face a tougher path even as broader unemployment has not risen as sharply as some AI-related forecasts warned, Fortune reported.
The pressure is uneven across industries. GMAC found that technology employers were the most likely to say AI is replacing entry-level roles, at 40%, with manufacturing close behind.
Employers still want judgment and problem-solving
Sabrina White, GMAC’s senior vice president of school and industry engagement, told Fortune that young workers should read the findings as a call to learn AI rather than avoid it. She said employers are using AI to handle repetitive work in coding, data processing and customer service while still investing in people who can apply judgment and solve problems.
White told Fortune that past technology shifts have tended to reshape jobs rather than wipe them out, and said employers are suggesting this transition will follow that pattern. GMAC’s survey also found that employers still rank communication, problem-solving and adaptivity among the most valued hiring traits today.
Recruiters expect the mix of desired skills to change over the next five years, according to GMAC. The survey found that AI proficiency and broader technology skills are expected to rise in importance as companies fold new tools into everyday work.
MBA hiring shows a more selective market
The survey also complicates the idea that graduate business school offers an easy answer to a weaker entry-level market. GMAC said applications to graduate business programs rose 13% in 2024 and 2% in 2025, as workers looked for an edge in a more competitive hiring environment.
Employer demand has not risen at the same pace. GMAC found that 13% of employers surveyed hired more MBA graduates in 2025 than they did a year earlier.
Some hiring also fell short of employer expectations across business degrees. For master’s in finance graduates, GMAC said 74% of employers had expected to hire from that group, while 68% ultimately did.
Starting pay estimates are also softer. GMAC estimated the median starting salary for MBA graduates at $120,000 this year, down from $125,000 in 2025. The report also put median starting pay for bachelor’s degree holders at $72,000, down from $75,000, and for experienced industry hires at $107,500, down from $110,000.
High-end MBA outcomes remain strong at some schools, Fortune reported, citing graduates of Harvard, MIT and Wharton earning more than $245,000 three years after graduation. White told Fortune that employers still show strong confidence in graduate business education, while expecting graduates to bring stronger technical and business skills to the job.
Several executives have recently said they still want young workers, Fortune reported, including leaders at IBM, Amazon Web Services and autonomous trucking startup Waabi. GMAC’s findings suggest those roles may increasingly favor candidates who can pair human skills with fluency in AI tools.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.