Teen hiring hit an 80-year low in 2025 — and it's expected to fall more this year. Is AI both the problem and solution?

In summertime 2025, teen hiring deed its lowest level successful astir 80 years of Bureau of Labor Statistics data. That downward inclination is expected to proceed for summertime 2026, according to a study by the vocation modulation services level Challenger, Gray & Christmas (1).

“With less teens already connected payrolls heading into the busiest hiring months, the runway for a beardown summertime is narrower than it has been successful years,” the study said (1).

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In fact, astir 20% of companies reported they program to either prosecute less interns oregon nary astatine each successful 2026, according to Drexel University’s 2026 College Hiring Outlook (2).

There are respective reasons down the diminution successful internships and entry-level jobs. One of the main culprits is besides the crushed these teens’ and assemblage kids’ parents mightiness person been laid off: AI.

Artificial quality tin execute entry-level occupation duties

Internships and entry-level positions often see duties that, though necessary, are comparatively uncomplicated and routine. So it could beryllium casual for a institution to automate these tasks utilizing AI.

“A batch of the tasks that are performed by caller grads are tasks wherever AI has beauteous unthinkable capabilities,” Brendon Bernard, an economist for Indeed (3), told The Globe and Mail (4).

The Challenger, Gray & Christmas study listed immoderate examples of specified assignments: taking orders, basal lawsuit service, checking inventory, and scheduling (1). Meanwhile, bosses don’t person to walk the clip and vigor grooming young employees, checking their work, oregon teaching them however to implicit projects much rapidly (5).

Fewer companies whitethorn request young workers to docket appointments oregon signifier files, but immoderate are filling roles successful 1 circumstantial area. Yep, you guessed it — AI.

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AI tin really beryllium the cardinal to getting your ft successful the doorway

Young radical person each close to beryllium aggravated that AI is astatine slightest somewhat liable for companies omitting definite jobs. However, if they clasp AI adjacent a little, they tin usage it to unafraid entry-level roles that didn’t beryllium erstwhile their siblings were landing concern and selling internships.

Google has prestigious internship programs (6) successful business, engineering, exertion and probe (7). Brian Ong, vice president for recruiting astatine Google, told Bloomberg that the company’s programme is increasing successful 2026 “in portion driven by our ongoing concern successful AI research, which is creating caller internship opportunities (8).”