AI and Early Careers: student, graduate and employer perspectives

AI and Early Careers, a collaboration between Prospects and Institute of Student Employers (ISE), explores how AI is influencing early career decision-making from the viewpoints of both young people and employers

Curiosity and anxiety are respondents' most common reactions to AI when thinking about their early careers and many are at least considering changing their plans because of it, according to the research. Meanwhile most employers say entry-level hiring will remain stable over the next three years - with no major AI-led automation expected in that period.

About the report

This research provides an evidence‑based assessment of how AI is beginning to shape early career decision‑making among young people in the UK. It draws on two connected perspectives:

• How young people and early career respondents perceive AI's impact on their future employment, including whether they are changing or reconsidering their career plans, how prepared they feel, and what support they believe they need.
• How employers anticipate AI reshaping entry-level roles, including expected changes to tasks and skill requirements.

Prospects surveyed 710 Prospects.ac.uk users between 10 November and 4 December 2025. Half were university students, around a third were in school, sixth form or college, and roughly one in ten identified as either jobseekers (11%) or employed (9%). 

ISE gathered responses from 30 member organisations between 19 November 2025 and 9 January 2026, providing an employer‑side view of emerging changes to entry‑level work.

Key findings

• Curiosity (34%) and anxiety (27%) were the most common reactions to AI.
• 13% of respondents reported changing their career plans as a result of AI, while one in three had considered doing so - driven by either concern or opportunity.
• Respondents originally pursuing technology, engineering, or business and finance roles often planned to stay in their sectors, adjusting their trajectory towards AI related opportunities.
• By contrast, those intending to become translators or interpreters overwhelmingly shifted to different sectors, citing high perceived automation risk.

What students say they need

Across the responses from those in education, three key areas of required support were identified:

• Practical AI skills and hands-on training to build competence and confidence.
• Up-to-date information on AI capabilities and sector specific impacts to counter misinformation.
• Clearer career guidance on where human strengths remain essential and how job requirements are evolving.

Employee expectations

Among respondents in employment, expectations centred on:

• Access to AI‑focused training and upskilling, particularly around responsible use and effective prompting.
• Greater transparency about how AI is used in the workplace and in recruitment processes.
• Reassurance around job security, reflecting widespread uncertainty about displacement.

Responses from employers

• 53% of employers expected entry‑level hiring to remain stable over the next three years, with only 17% anticipating reductions.
• No employers expected full automation of entry‑level tasks within three years - tasks involving judgement, stakeholder engagement and complex decision‑making were expected to remain predominantly human‑led.
• Routine content, translation and information‑gathering tasks were seen as most susceptible to automation.
• Employers also reported internal disagreement and uncertainty around AI capability, reliability, and appropriate boundaries for human oversight

Written by

Micha-Shannon Smith

Information analyst

Prospects Luminate