The Disappearing First Rung: Protecting the Future of Early-Career Work

Written By Emma Iezzoni

There’s a lot of noise about AI’s impact on entry-level jobs, but I wanted to share the thoughts that have been rattling around in my head – and, more importantly, what we can do to make things better.

When I launched EJ Intelligence, I shared a little about my own story: I learned the corporate world by cutting my teeth in entry-level roles, building relationships, and (let’s be honest) failing, a lot. Those early jobs weren’t just paychecks; they were where I learned how to think critically, solve problems under pressure, and bounce back when things didn’t go according to plan.

And failure? I’m married to a scientist, so I (for better or for worse) get regular reminders that failure is one of the most effective teachers we have. Those first few years in the workforce gave me a safe enough space to fail repeatedly and still keep moving forward.

That’s why all these headlines about AI’s impact on the workforce – especially on entry-level roles – hit me hard. If those early-career proving grounds disappear, how will people become experts? How will they learn to think for themselves, make judgment calls, and recover from their mistakes if there’s no space to make them?

 

What the Numbers Say

Sadly, there’s no lack of panic headlines. Recent reports in 2025 show:

Finance, tech, media, healthcare, customer service all are cutting early-career roles that once served as the on-ramp into professional life.

Why It Matters

If I didn’t make it clear enough, this trend is on my mind daily. I have kids, and sometimes I find myself wondering how to coach them for future job security… should they become electricians? Dairy farmers? Is there even such a thing as an “AI-proof” job anymore? I have no idea. But setting aside my late-night career-crisis parenting thoughts, let’s talk about why business leaders should be worried.

The first rung on the career ladder has always been more than just an entry point. It’s a training ground, a proving space, and, frankly, a safe place for early mistakes. You lose more than headcount when those jobs vanish: you lose the ready-made bench of future managers, the internal candidates for promotion who already know the culture, the workflows, and which legacy system will crash if someone runs the wrong report on a Friday afternoon. And you lose the natural onboarding ramp for new graduates, the one that lets them go from “I can do the job” to “I can do the job here.”

If we don’t address the shrinking of that first rung, we risk waking up in 2028 with a leadership crisis… plenty of senior roles open, but no one ready to step in. That’s when companies either promote too soon, hire too hastily, or leave critical roles vacant, each of which has a price tag far higher than keeping the entry-level pipeline healthy in the first place.

 

The Nuance

Of course, not every organization is simply cutting entry-level jobs and locking the door behind them. Some are quietly redesigning the concept of “entry-level” itself. In these companies, automation doesn’t erase the role, it reshapes it. Instead of spending hours on repetitive tasks, early-career employees are paired with AI systems that handle the rote work, freeing them to focus on judgment calls, client interaction, and problem-solving. Think of it as the difference between being the person who copies data into a spreadsheet and the person who decides what that data actually means.

Others are doubling down on structured programs (think internships, rotational assignments, and apprenticeships) where early-career employees move through different parts of the business, building both technical fluency and organizational context. It’s less “Here’s your desk; good luck” and more “Here’s your first tour of duty; the next one starts in six months.”

A few are getting even more intentional, adopting “future-ready” recruitment strategies that identify potential long before the official job offer through partnerships with universities, skills-based competitions, or targeted community programs. The goal is to keep the pipeline flowing, even if the nature of the work at the start looks different than it did a decade ago.

But here’s the thing: all of these solutions take planning, patience, and, in many cases, a willingness to let go of how the career ladder “should” work. They require the courage to design new rungs, rather than hoping the old ones will magically reappear.

 

What HR Leaders Can Do (Without Needing a Crystal Ball)

Redesign Career Paths Before the Old Ones Collapse

If entry-level roles are disappearing, the solution isn’t to shrug and hope for the best, it’s to build new pathways on purpose. Think about what we just mentioned: apprenticeships that rotate early-career hires through multiple departments, giving them a richer understanding of the business, cross-functional “tours of duty” where someone might spend three months in analytics, then three in operations, then three in customer-facing work. These aren’t busywork rotations; they’re intentional skill-building, mixing the technical know-how AI can’t (yet) replicate with the human skills – judgment, persuasion, empathy – that will only grow in value.

Make Upskilling a Day-One Feature, Not a Rescue Mission

We tend to think of training as something we do when a skill gap becomes obvious, like fixing a leaky faucet. But in a fast-changing environment, that’s too late. And this isn’t just a “new tech rollout” you can delegate to IT or L&D and check off the list. Adapting to AI is an all-hands, all-levels shift that touches your culture, your workflows, and the way people think about their jobs.

From day one, bake AI fluency, digital literacy, and critical thinking into onboarding – not just as skills, but as part of your organizational identity. Show new hires and existing employees how to use these tools to navigate your specific culture, not just the software interface. Pair technical workshops with mentoring so people learn “how we get things done around here” in ways that move the business forward.

Treat the Talent Pipeline Like an Asset, Not an Afterthought

If your hiring strategy is to wait until someone leaves, then scramble to replace them, you’re essentially watering a plant only when it’s dying. Build relationships with potential hires before there’s an opening. Keep warm connections with interns, promising candidates from past searches, or high-potential students from targeted programs. This isn’t just succession planning – it’s risk management for your future leadership bench.

Get an Outside Perspective Before the Leaks Become Floods

When you’re inside an organization, it’s easy to miss the slow drips that turn into full-blown talent shortages. Sometimes the most valuable thing you can do is bring in a third party, someone with enough distance to see the big picture and enough candor to point out the uncomfortable truths. The right consultant can help leaders quickly assess their talent pipeline, structure, and culture, then create a clear plan to strengthen them. And as an advisor, my goal is simple: keep your organization agile, your people engaged, and your leadership bench ready for what’s next. Bonus: I can say the things your internal team might be thinking but can’t say out loud without wondering if it’ll show up in their performance review (speaking from experience).

 

The Bottom Line

I know firsthand that entry-level jobs can change a career… I know they changed my life. Without them, I wouldn’t have had the mentors, the space to fail, or the chance to develop the skills that eventually let me launch my own firm. That’s why the erosion of these roles worries me so much. If we want to keep building capable, adaptable experts for the future, we all have a stake in making sure that first rung on the ladder doesn’t disappear entirely.

Because once it’s gone, rebuilding it will be much harder than we think.

Emma Iezzoni
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