AI study shows 28% drop in young hires in exposed jobs

A study by the Bank of France and HEC's Laboratoire de l'innovation et du futur du travail finds that hiring of young adults has dropped significantly in professions most exposed to generative AI, with permanent contract hires for 21-29 year olds down 28.3% since November 2022, versus 7.5% in less exposed fields. The gap narrows with age, reaching 20.8 percentage points for 21-29 year olds but only 3.8 points for those over 50, as juniors handle tasks AI now performs easily. Most exposed jobs involve producing or processing information, like translators, journalists, and banking technicians, while less exposed roles require physical presence or direct contact, such as nurses and childcare workers. Resignations among young workers in exposed fields fell 23% between November 2022 and March 2026, indicating a frozen job market. Software developers saw a 42% drop in junior permanent hires, and researchers link the recruitment decline partly to remote work, which made tasks easier to codify and automate.