New Australian Association of Graduate Employers (AAGE) research finds just one in seven employers say AI is influencing the number or type of early careers roles they offer, challenging predictions that emerging technology will spell the end of entry-level careers.

The impact of artificial intelligence on graduate jobs may be far less dramatic than predicted, according to new Australian research.

The Future of Early Careers, released by the Australian Association of Graduate Employers (AAGE) and developed with McCrindle, brings together findings from AAGE’s Employer, Candidate, Graduate and Intern surveys and its AI Impact research.

It finds only 14 per cent of employers currently report AI is influencing the number or types of early careers roles available within their organisation.

Instead, early careers roles are evolving as organisations rethink capability needs, workflows and development pathways.

Shanan Green, Chief Executive Officer of AAGE, said the findings challenge some of the more dramatic predictions about what AI means for young people entering the workforce.

“There has been plenty of speculation that AI will eliminate entry-level jobs and make it harder for graduates to start their careers. The evidence tells a much more measured story,” Ms Green said.

“AI is changing jobs. It is changing recruitment. It is changing the skills organisations need. But it is not removing the need for talented people.

“Australia needs emerging talent and strong early careers programs will continue to be an important part of how organisations build the skills and capability they need for the future.”

While the impact on the number of graduate roles remains limited, AI is rapidly changing how candidates seek and apply for jobs.

Candidate use of generative AI during recruitment has climbed from 27 per cent in 2025 to 42 per cent in 2026, with candidates using the technology for everything from interview preparation and employer research to resumes and cover letters.

At the same time, many employers are still determining how AI should fit within their early careers strategies. AAGE’s research found 58 per cent of employers were not using AI in any aspect of graduate recruitment or development, while almost six in ten candidates, 59 per cent, said they had not received enough guidance about employers’ expectation for appropriate AI use during recruitment.

Ms Green said the findings point to an important opportunity for employers to provide greater clarity around how AI can be used responsibly through the recruitment process and, more broadly, to prepare emerging talent for an AI-enabled workplace.

“The workplace graduates are entering will continue to change. Employers cannot promise them a workplace that stands still, because it won’t.

“But they can give people strong foundations, meaningful development and the opportunity to build careers that can evolve.

“Emerging talent also needs to arrive ready to learn, adapt and contribute. Digital fluency will become increasingly important, but so too will human capabilities such as judgement, curiosity, communication and the ability to build relationships.

“The graduates entering organisations today will become Australia’s future specialists, innovators, managers and leaders. Investing in them is not just a graduate recruitment issue. It is a workforce issue.”

The findings reinforce a positive message for students and graduates entering the workforce, that early careers are not disappearing, but they are evolving.

For employers, the opportunity is to invest with confidence in emerging talent, while evolving roles, recruitment and development to build the workforce of the future.

The AAGE is the peak body representing the organisations and professionals that recruit, develop and inspire students, graduates and interns, directly representing more than 500 organisations across Australia’s private and public sectors.

The Future of Early Careers report is available at aage.com.au/The-Future-of-Early-Careers-Report-2026.