IBM to Triple US Entry-Level Hiring as AI Reshapes Junior Roles

IBM plans to triple its entry-level hiring in the United States this year, betting that artificial intelligence will transform rather than eliminate junior positions as the technology takes over routine tasks traditionally assigned to new graduates.

The move represents a contrarian bet in a labor market where entry-level job postings have fallen 35% since early 2023, according to analytics firm Revelio Labs. While many companies have pulled back on junior hiring amid fears that AI could automate away the bottom rungs of the corporate ladder, IBM is restructuring those roles around the technology instead of eliminating them.

"AI excels at automating repetitive tasks, like data organization and basic coding, which usually fall to people in entry-level roles," Chief HR Officer Nickle LaMoreaux said in announcing the initiative on February 16. The company is revamping job descriptions across functions to reflect this shift.

Under the new model, junior software developers will spend less time writing code and more time interfacing with clients. Human resources staffers will deploy chatbots to field routine employee questions, then step in to handle complex issues that require judgment. The approach assumes AI handles the mechanical work while humans focus on relationship-building and problem-solving that machines can't replicate.

LaMoreaux framed the investment as a long-term talent strategy. "Today's entry-level employees are also tomorrow's managers, so supporting young talent makes sense long-term," she said.

IBM isn't alone in doubling down on junior talent despite—or because of—AI's advance. Cloud platform Dropbox is expanding its internship and new-graduate programs by 25%. Chief People Officer Melanie Rosenwasser told Bloomberg that younger workers demonstrate stronger AI fluency than most employees, a skill set the company wants to capture and develop.

The hiring push comes as finance leaders grapple with how AI will reshape workforce planning. The technology's ability to automate routine tasks has sparked debate over whether companies need fewer entry-level workers or simply need to redeploy them differently. IBM's approach suggests the latter: that junior roles remain valuable when redesigned around human skills AI can't easily replicate.

The broader entry-level job market tells a grimmer story. The 35% decline in postings since early 2023 indicates many employers are choosing elimination over transformation. For CFOs weighing similar decisions, IBM's experiment offers a test case in whether restructured junior roles can deliver returns that justify the investment—or whether the company is simply delaying an inevitable workforce contraction.

The outcome will hinge on whether IBM can successfully retrain new hires to add value in client-facing and judgment-intensive work, rather than the task-completion roles that defined entry-level jobs for decades. If the model works, it provides a template for preserving junior positions in an AI-enabled workplace. If it doesn't, it may simply confirm what the job posting data already suggests: that the bottom rung is disappearing.