Gartner Survey Finds AI Automation Is Reducing Some Entry Level Hiring at Nearly One-Quarter of Organizations

Twenty-two percent of CHROs report that at least one business leader in their organization has stopped hiring for entry level roles due to AI automation, according to Gartner, Inc., a business and technology insights company.

The 4Q25 Gartner survey of 110 heads of HR also found that 95% of organizations have implemented AI in some capacity over the last year, but only one-in-five has realized significant or transformational value.

Current AI implementation at most organizations is focused on augmenting and automating many of the less complex tasks traditionally performed by entry-level workers. The result is a mismatch between traditional skill profiles of early career talent and the organization’s remaining lowest-complexity work.

“Organizations that respond by cutting their early career talent pipelines altogether risk creating significant workforce challenges down the road,” said Kaelyn Lowmaster, Director Analyst in the Gartner HR practice. “Instead of eliminating these early career roles, organizations should redefine them to enable earlier contributions to higher-value work and build the talent they will need in the future.”

Eliminating entry-level roles often forces companies to pay premiums for experienced talent that must be hired externally rather than developed internally. Additionally, fewer low-risk on-the-job opportunities to build skills, personal networks and institutional knowledge over time, means that organizations must reorient early career development toward performing more complex tasks and navigating higher levels of ambiguity.

Gartner has identified three approaches CHROs can prioritize to address the growing gap between the capabilities of early career talent and the complexity of work required in AI-enabled environments:

“Understanding how AI is changing work helps organizations identify opportunities to shift tasks across roles,” said Annika Jessen, Director Analyst in the Gartner HR practice. “Knowing where AI is freeing up time enables leaders to create new supervisory responsibilities and identify tasks that can safely shift to early career talent.”

To support this realignment, CHROs should conduct a detailed analysis of the workforce capabilities that underpin the organization's most critical value streams. Mapping the impact of AI investments on those skills and competencies can help organizations identify high-change, high-value job families where shifting work across roles is likely to have the greatest impact. 

Organizations should begin this analysis at the strategic level by examining the value streams that support critical business capabilities, the workforce capabilities required to enable them and the ways AI is transforming those capabilities through assistance, augmentation, automation or autonomous operation.

A December 2025 Gartner survey of 3,086 employees found that employees are 3.8 times more likely to have high skills preparedness when they can build on a foundation of adaptable skills.

“Traditional development approaches are no longer sufficient in an AI-enabled environment,” said Meaghan Kelly, Director Analyst in the Gartner HR practice. “Organizations can’t rely on gradual skill-building through routine work. Instead, they must provide the support structures that allow early career employees to operate effectively in more complex, judgment-intensive roles much earlier in their careers.”

CHROs should partner with business leaders to identify specific risks and co-design a wider range of on-the-job learning solutions. HR must also lead their organization to shift from supporting role mastery to driving employee versatility.  

In today’s organizations, early career employees have fewer chances to develop judgment and experience through day-to-day work.

Organizations can address this by providing safety nets, such as tools, guidance, and peer connections that help employees navigate ambiguity while minimizing mistakes and their impact. CHROs should look to adapt training to focus on business acumen and how employees' specific actions deliver business value.