Remote Work, Not AI, Linked to Decline in Junior Hiring: Study
THE GLOBAL JOB MARKET is a difficult hurdle to cross for young, inexperienced, and freshly graduated youngsters. Their entrance into the professional world couldn’t have come at a worse time. Economic hardships, shifting employers demands, and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has all contributed to a stagnant job market. The International Labour Organization says that the global employment rate stands at 4.6% as of 2024.
In white collar jobs — especially in software and other technology-based roles — the impact is even more pronounced. The advent of AI has rendered a significant portion of the workforce useless, as firms prefer using AI models to offload work rather than hire human professionals as a cost-cutting measure. A report by Nexford University posits that AI would be responsible for gobbling up around 300 million full-time jobs by 2030.
The rise of AI tools means that much of the work that less-experienced junior workers do can be automated. However, AI is less likely to undertake the tasks requiring accumulated knowledge and expertise, often done by senior-level executives.
But, what if we were to tell you that it is not AI that is responsible for less junior-hiring?
Is AI Really Responsible for the Decline in Junior Hiring?
A recent research study, published by authors Peter John Lambert and Yannick Schindler in May 2026, gives the reason why AI is not the leading cause of weak junior-hiring. The study, titled “The Broken Ladder: AI, Remote Work, and Early-Career Hiring” offers a fascinating proposal: the take-off of remote work is the real culprit.
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In their study, Lambert and Schindler studied hundreds of millions of job postings and new hires. They found that both AI use and remote work seemed linked to the big drop in hiring junior employees. However, when they accounted for remote work, the link with AI disappeared.
In simple terms, it only appears that AI is causing fewer junior software developer jobs because most coding work is done remotely. Other jobs that can be done remotely (like lawyers) have also seen a sharp fall in junior hiring. But jobs that require people to be physically present (like receptionists), even if they use a lot of AI, have not seen such a big drop.
How Remote Work Is Affecting Junior Hiring
One of the reasons why remote working places junior career workers at a disadvantage is that in a work-from-home setting, workers miss out on crucial professional learning and other skills.
