Stanford study finds AI-exposed youth employment 19% below trend

Stanford researchers report that employment of 22-to-25-year-olds in AI-exposed occupations fell to 19% below trend by mid-2026, driven primarily by a drop in new hires rather than firings. The author argues that thinning this entry-level rung removes the supervised practice necessary for workers to develop vital tacit skills, creating a potential shortage of mid-career specialists in the 2030s. However, the authors of the underlying studies caution that these are descriptive patterns rather than proven causal effects of AI. Open article →