AI is eliminating entry-level roles as companies prioritize experienced workers

An analysis of 10.41 million job postings by MBC's Producer's Notebook reveals that companies are increasingly replacing entry-level positions with AI or experienced staff. While Japan invests in training new employees and China supports youth entrepreneurship, South Korean youths face an "AI spec war" involving private training costing up to 8.58 million won.

Broadcast: Tuesday, October 20 at 10:20 PM

[Producer's Notebook] “Rather than hiring new employees, give us more AI tokens”... ‘Producer's Notebook’ tracks the brutal employment reality of young people pushed out by AI.

Entry-level employees are disappearing. They are not being laid off; they are not being hired in the first place. Since the appearance of ChatGPT in November 2022, AI has begun to take over the basic tasks that entry-level employees used to perform while learning on the job. The spread of AI is even changing how companies approach recruitment.

MBC's Producer's Notebook conducted the first comprehensive analysis of 10.41 million job postings uploaded over approximately the last six years and performed in-depth reporting across South Korea, China, and Japan for four months. In the second part of the two-part special "AI Dilemma," titled , the program tracks how AI is eliminating the first jobs of young people.

“Rather than hiring new employees, give us more AI tokens”... The inner thoughts of large corporation HR teams

Baek Yeong-ju, a manager with 15 years of experience at a large corporation, works with five "AI agent" team members instead of entry-level employees. From research to drafting and report production, AI completes the tasks that entry-level employees used to learn first in a short amount of time. Hong Seok-gu, a lawyer with 10 years of experience, noted that senior lawyers who know how to handle AI are now personally processing tasks they used to delegate to juniors, leading to descriptions of them being "rejuvenated." The spread of AI has led to hiring freezes. The head of a recruitment consulting firm reported that a "hiring freeze for new employees" is already the mainstream trend among executive-level HR managers at large corporations. It is reported that instructions from executives to "rather than hiring new employees, just give us more AI tokens" are being openly issued.

First analysis of 10 million domestic job postings... Even certified accountants and perfect TOEIC scorers have "nowhere to go"

As a result of this situation, even professionals and highly qualified young people are losing their place. Choi Hyeon-jun, who passed the certified public accountant exam after four and a half years, remains a job seeker because he cannot find a company to join. Lee Ju-eun (pseudonym), who possesses a perfect TOEIC score, a TOEFL score of 118, a 4.2 GPA, and internship experience, has applied to more than 30 places but has faced consecutive failures. The results of the analysis of 10.41 million job postings from the last six years by Producer's Notebook are shocking. It was clearly confirmed that the more a job category is exposed to AI, the more companies seek experienced workers instead of new employees. As AI replaces basic tasks, a distorted structure is solidifying where companies prefer only experienced workers who can be immediately deployed to practical work.

Japan nurtures new employees, China supports startups... Are South Korean youths left to fend for themselves?

How, then, are neighboring countries responding to this massive change? Japan, having experienced an "employment ice age," views training new employees as an "investment" rather than a cost. An IT company in Japan found by the production team hires 60% of its new employees without any programming experience, training them directly by having them work alongside seniors. China is seeking a breakthrough through state-led support for youth entrepreneurship. An individual entrepreneurship cluster in Shanghai provides young people with free office and residential space, as well as computing resources. In contrast, South Korean youths have been pushed into an individual "AI spec war." To pass AI competency tests introduced in the recruitment process, hundreds of people flock to AI clubs that only hire 20 people, and private education products for AI job training costing as much as 8.58 million won have even appeared.

Everyone was a new employee once. But now that AI is doing the "work of new employees," companies are choosing immediate efficiency and kicking away the ladder for entry-level workers. In a society that does not hire new employees, where will the future experienced professionals come from? The second part of the MBC Producer's Notebook two-part special "AI Dilemma," , will be broadcast on Tuesday, October 20 at 10:20 PM.

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