AI Could Replace Gen Z Jobs as Employers Lose Faith in Young Workers

It’s official—AI is replacing Gen Z jobs, or it might soon enough. According to a new survey, 37% of managers would rather hire artificial intelligence bots over humans, or young Gen Z graduates to be more precise. While workers have long been afraid of technology taking over their jobs, especially since the AI uprising began a few years ago, most were reassured by the fact that the technology would take some more to develop into a form that would be able to do their jobs better than them.

They were right to a degree, as such advanced technology has not materialized yet, however, employers and hiring managers have already begun considering the possibility of AI replacing human jobs in 2025. The general attitude towards the Gen Z population has long been one of aversion, and this is materializing in a way that might be significantly detrimental to the incoming workforce.

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Is AI Replacing Gen Z Jobs? Not Yet but Managers Are Ready to Explore Their Options

Recently, HR managers have begun expressing concerns over the dearth of talent in their organizations, with many pointing at their difficulties in finding qualified candidates who can take on their roles and mix with the organization’s culture and practices. Now it appears that the problem has gotten to a point where they are actively considering AI robots over actual candidates. 

According to the study conducted by Workplace Intelligence and sponsored by Hult International Business School, 37% of employers would rather hire a robot or AI over a recent college graduate. When the reasoning for this was further explored, it was revealed that 96% of HR leaders believed that colleges were not preparing these young workers for the workplace to the degree that one might expect. 

Additionally, 89% of the employers were making an active effort to avoid hiring these recent graduates precisely due to their lack of experience and skill. It’s interesting to note that they weren’t the only ones who felt that Gen Z workers were unprepared for the workforce. 

Gen Zers Are Not Satisfied with their Workplace Preparedness Either

The study also collected data from recent college graduates themselves and the numbers showed that 77% of the Gen Z workers learned more in their first 6 months on the job compared to the learnings from their 4-year college course. 

Around 85% of them wished their colleges had prepared them better and 55% felt their college education did nothing to prepare them for their jobs. For an entire 87% of them, the on-the-job training was more useful than their entire undergraduate education. 

From the numbers, it appears that Gen Z’s struggles have less to do with their own shortcomings and more to do with the current system of education. Many educational institutions have not been able to keep up with the times and update their offerings to the level that is necessary for the modern world. 

What are the Primary Issues that Managers Face With Gen Z Workers?

When talking about Gen Z’s workplace unpreparedness, there are a couple of different issues that lead the conversation. Managers complain that Gen Z workers do not have real-world experience, making them unable to apply themselves to the work. This one is a tricky problem because if colleges aren’t preparing workers and these candidates aren’t getting hired either, there is little room for them to gain experience or understand their roles better.

Gen Z workers have also been accused of lacking a global mindset or basic business etiquette. While it’s true that a large number of these workers started or ended their education during the global pandemic, there has also been a mismatch between what employers and these workers consider “professional.” 

Gen Z workers also struggle to work well in a team, which is a criticism that has been repeated quite often. Whether this is a mismatch between the generations or a real attitude problem, it falls to Gen Zers to address and resolve this issue if they want to get hired.

Organizations that have been willing to hire these Gen Zers also find it too expensive to invest in their training, which brings us back to the lack of necessary support for these young graduates.

AI vs Gen Z in the Job Market—Is There a Real Chance of Being Replaced?

AI has evolved exponentially over the last two years and from the heavy investments that organizations are making into the technology, it is likely that these systems will only get better from here on out. AI is being integrated into HRIS systems and finding room in customer service roles as well. 

Looking at the big picture, employers hiring AI over humans expect that these tools will be significantly easier to work with, more cost-effective, and more efficient. If organizations are able to replace human jobs with AI, they likely will. There are multiple avenues where AI application is imminent, however, despite employers considering AI as a replacement for Gen Z jobs, there is still a way to go before this becomes possible. 

Despite this, employers are still holding off on hiring Gen Z candidates, with some even willing to fire them within 90 days on the job. Older workers may find themselves forced to fill these roles, despite their experience and desire to progress in their careers. This suggests that something needs to change. 

Employers need to realistically assess whether AI tools have reached a point where they can replace Gen Z jobs already. For the most part, it has not, which means that the available jobs have to be handled by an individual. If candidates appear unprepared, employers will have to put their resources together and meet these candidates halfway to help them while they help themselves.

AI could be replacing Gen Z jobs, so workers for their part, may benefit from seeking out mentors and advisors in their industry of interest and gaining some insight into how to prepare for the workforce.  These workers can also consider familiarizing themselves with AI as they might be the ones best equipped to develop and use these AI tools.

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