Entry-level workers are unprepared for their jobs amid AI blitz, survey says

Core Insights - The majority of leaders believe entry-level employees are unprepared for their jobs, despite a perception of improved readiness compared to last year [1][2] - A significant portion of leaders attribute this unpreparedness to a lack of soft skills, particularly in larger companies [2] Group 1: Preparedness of Entry-Level Employees - Only 22% of company leaders surveyed indicated that entry-level workers were very or completely prepared for their roles [2] - 47% of leaders felt that these workers were somewhat prepared, while 31% believed they were hardly or not at all prepared [2] Group 2: Skills Gap and Responsibility for Training - 64% of leaders at companies with 1,000 or more employees cited a lack of soft skills as a reason for unpreparedness, compared to 41% at smaller companies [2] - 42% of workers surveyed also blamed a lack of soft skills for their unpreparedness [3] - There is a disagreement between employers and employees regarding the responsibility for upskilling, with most leaders believing it is primarily the workers' responsibility [4] Group 3: Training Adequacy - 80% of leaders claimed to offer adequate training, an increase from the previous year, but fewer workers agreed with this statement compared to the prior year [4] Group 4: Impact of AI on Entry-Level Jobs - Nearly 75% of respondents in a Zety survey believe that AI will reduce entry-level corporate job opportunities in the next five years [5] - 83% of workers in the General Assembly survey think AI can perform most entry-level jobs as well as humans [5] Group 5: Industry Perspective - General Assembly's CEO emphasized the need for employers to invest in training and upskilling to avoid a critical skills shortage in the future [6]