Workmonitor data shows that 76% of employers believe at least half of entry-level roles will disappear in the next five years because of AI. At the same time, access to early-career roles is shrinking while experience requirements continue to rise.
This creates a paradox. Organisations still need experienced talent, yet many of the roles that historically built that experience are being automated, redesigned, or removed. As entry points narrow, competition intensifies and access increasingly favours those with existing networks, financial flexibility, or prior exposure to work. Over time, this risks leaving capable but underrepresented talent behind, not due to a lack of potential, but because pathways into experience are no longer equally available.
This Inclusion Lab, explores how leading organisations are responding by rebuilding early-career programmes as skills incubators. We’ll examine how automation can support learning and progression, and how, inclusive entry routes can sustain talent pipelines while protecting fair access in an AI-shaped economy.
