How is AI reshaping Canada’s entry-level jobs?
While much of the public discussion around artificial intelligence (AI) focuses on which occupations may grow or disappear as it advances, a more immediate concern is whether AI is already taking away entry-level jobs, making it harder for workers to start their career journeys.
Entry-level jobs are often concentrated on tasks that are structured, routine, and easier to automate. This makes them attractive opportunities to employers looking to apply AI tools to improve efficiency. But what could we be missing out on if these entry-level tasks are automated? If we outsource these to technology, what’s the new entry point for workers?
To better understand these risks and the potential changes to the entry-level labour market, Signal49 Research, in collaboration with the Future Skills Centre, is examining how AI exposure is changing patterns in labour demand for entry-level jobs. By linking AI exposure to hiring patterns, this research will provide a clearer picture of how entry-level job opportunities are changing and where new pathways into employment may emerge.
Entry-level jobs require distinct attention
Entry-level jobs are not simply junior versions of more senior positions. They serve as the first rung of the career ladder for youth and newcomers, which gives them special importance in individuals’ career development. They often involve a different mix of work requirements and skill demands and provide the first opportunity to gain work experience, develop foundational skills, and transition into more experienced roles, higher pay, and longer-term employment.
Understanding the impact of AI on entry-level jobs requires examining how labour demand for entry-level jobs is weakening or shifting given their degree of exposure to AI. If AI reduces entry-level opportunities, it could make it harder for youth and newcomers to enter the labour market, increase the risk of unemployment or underemployment early in working life, and weaken the pipeline of workers gaining the experience needed to move into mid-career jobs.
This project will show us if AI is already reshaping labour market entry in Canada. We will focus on demand for entry-level jobs and the work requirements that shape their exposure to AI. To do so, we are developing an occupation-level measure of how entry-level a job is, based on worker age and job tenure. We will then combine this measure with occupational AI exposure and job vacancy data from the Job Vacancy and Wage Survey as an indicator of labour demand.
This research will strengthen Canada’s understanding of how AI is affecting entry-level job opportunities and support more informed, forward-looking workforce development policy. Identifying where entry-level opportunities are weakening, shifting, or emerging will help policy-makers and education leaders understand what these changes could mean for youth, newcomers, and education and training systems.
This project is funded by the Future Skills Centre (FSC) and led by Signal49 Research’s Economic Research Knowledge Area.
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If you are interested in learning more about this research, please contact Moein Amini, MA, Senior Economist, Economics Research ([email protected]).
FSC partners
The responsibility for the findings and conclusions of this research rests entirely with Signal49 Research.