Early-career workers ages 22 to 25 in occupations most exposed to generative AI experienced a 13% relative decline in employment after controlling for industry- or companywide shocks. Software engineers and customer service workers were among the most AI-exposed occupations. Employment of the youngest workers fell notably after 2022 while employment for more experienced workers remained stable or grew. The employment drop became most acute beginning in late 2022, near the breakout of ChatGPT in November 2022. By July 2025, employment for 22- to 25-year-old developers had fallen nearly 20% from its late-2022 peak. Some jobs where AI was used showed employment growth.
Early-career professionals across the board are having a hard time finding work right now, and new research from Stanford University shows the impact AI is having on certain professions. Researchers Erik Brynjolfsson, Bharat Chandar, and Ruyu Chen wrote that while "the facts we document may in part be influenced by factors other than generative AI, our results are consistent with the hypothesis that generative AI has begun to affect entry-level employment," according to their new paper published Tuesday.
Early-career workers, defined as those ages 22 to 25, in occupations most exposed to AI saw a 13% relative decline in employment after controlling for industry- or companywide shocks, like interest rate changes. The paper listed software engineers and customer service workers as some of the workers in the most AI-exposed professions. In both occupations, the researchers noticed employment of the youngest workers dropped considerably after 2022, despite growing for other age groups. By July 2025, employment for 22- to 25-year-old developers fell by nearly 20% compared to its peak in late 2022, they said.
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