"One-Third of Entry-Level Jobs Disappeared After ChatGPT Launch"

An analysis has found that one-third of entry-level jobs have disappeared since the emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) such as ChatGPT.

According to an analysis by the UK job search site Adzuna, the number of "entry-level" positions?including graduate roles, apprenticeships, and internships?registered from November 2022, when ChatGPT was launched, to May of this year, decreased by 31.9%. The Times reported this on June 30 (local time).

By sector, the retail sector saw the largest decline, with a drop of 78.2%. This was followed by logistics, warehousing, and administration. Entry-level positions in information technology (IT), accounting, and finance also fell by more than half.

The proportion of entry-level jobs among all job postings also decreased from about 29% to 25%.

In May of this year, the number of entry-level jobs decreased by 4.2% compared to the same period last year, which contrasts with the overall number of jobs increasing by 0.5%, marking three consecutive months of growth.

As of May, there were an average of 2.02 job seekers per job posting, up from 1.98 in April. The average time it took to fill a position shortened from 39.6 days to 35.8 days.

The average annual salary for posted jobs was 42,403 pounds (about 78.65 million won), up 9.4% from May last year.

James Neave, Head of Data Science at Adzuna, explained that, in addition to overall economic challenges, AI has become a primary driver of the reduction in entry-level jobs. He added, "Employers are facing increasing reasons not to hire people, such as higher National Insurance contributions and new employment legislation."

The number of companies publicly announcing plans to reduce their workforce using AI is also increasing.

In May 2023, telecommunications company BT announced plans to replace 10,000 jobs?including call handling and network diagnostics?with AI by 2030. On June 15, BT CEO Allison Kirkby said that, given the pace of AI technology, the company could make even deeper job cuts than originally planned.

Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, the startup that developed the chatbot "Claude," recently predicted that within the next five years, AI could eliminate half of all entry-level office jobs, potentially raising the unemployment rate to 10-20%.