Goldman Sachs: AI Is Already Suppressing Hiring in Some Industries, Entry-Level Positions Hit Hardest
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A new Goldman Sachs report finds AI automation is visibly slowing hiring in parts of the developed world, with call-center employment running nearly 40% below trend and entry-level workers bearing the sharpest pressure.
How much has AI actually hit employment so far?
Goldman's research spans major advanced economies. The verdict: AI pressure is already visible, but still confined to a handful of industries and specific groups — not yet widespread.
Since late 2022, industries with high AI exposure (meaning their tasks are readily automatable by AI) have seen broadly slower job-vacancy growth, most notably in Germany, Australia, and the U.S.
Information and communication services employment has slowed in nearly every advanced economy, yet outside the U.S. employment levels remain near or above long-run trend. This means → the impact is not uniform — each country is on a different clock.
Which industries are already feeling the pain?
Four high-AI-exposure sectors now sit well below historical employment trends: call centers, software publishing, management consulting, and advertising.
Call centers stand out the most — U.S. employment is 39% below trend, Canada 33%, Germany 27%. In plain terms = work that once required 100 people now needs barely 60, and the vacated positions simply disappeared.
This reflects a clear pattern: wherever a mature automation tool already exists, AI's drag on hiring shows up first.
Why are entry-level jobs bearing the brunt?
Goldman analyzed employment growth across more than 800 occupations and found the AI-related headwind is strongest at the entry level.
Across France, Canada, and the U.S., a 10-percentage-point increase in occupational AI exposure drags annual headcount growth by roughly 0.1 pp. For entry-level workers, that figure exceeds 0.6 pp in Australia and 0.2 pp in the U.S.
This means → entry-level tasks tend to be standardized and repetitive — exactly what AI replaces first. New graduates are now competing not just with peers, but with algorithms.
How widely have companies adopted AI?
Goldman combined 11 cross-country surveys and estimates AI adoption in major advanced markets at roughly 15% to 20%.
France, the U.S., the Netherlands, and the U.K. lead; Italy, Japan, and New Zealand sit at the lower end among developed economies. Major emerging markets are estimated at 10% to 15%.
In plain terms = about one in every five to seven firms is already using AI in day-to-day work — far from universal, but enough to leave a visible mark in the data.
What is the next thing to watch?
Goldman is explicit: AI employment pressure remains limited to a relatively narrow set of industries and worker groups — it has not spread broadly.
The key test ahead is whether the entry-level pattern will extend to more occupations as AI capabilities expand.
This means → if mid-career and senior roles start showing similar hiring slowdowns, AI's displacement effect will have entered its next phase. That hasn't happened yet, but the direction is already clear.
Content is for reference only, not financial advice.