A new report from Stanford University is already making waves in the workforce world. The study, titled Canaries in the Coal Mine? Six Facts about the Recent Employment Effects of Artificial Intelligence, digs deep into payroll and employment data from late 2022 to mid-2025. Its findings are striking and should grab the attention of everyone working in workforce development.
The clearest signal is this: younger, entry-level workers are starting to feel the impact of AI on their jobs. The data shows a noticeable drop—about 13 percent—in employment among workers ages 22 to 25 in occupations most exposed to AI. In other words, the “canaries” are indeed singing, and it’s the newest workers in the labor market who are being displaced first.
Interestingly, the story looks different for more experienced workers. Their employment remains steady, and in some cases even ticks upward. Wages, at least so far, haven’t shown much disruption. What this tells us is that experience and deeper skills appear to offer some protection in the face of AI adoption, while early-career roles are more vulnerable when tasks can be automated away.
So, what does this mean for workforce development professionals? It suggests we have to rethink how we prepare people for those critical first jobs. Traditional entry-level roles may be disappearing, or at least changing, as AI takes over repetitive tasks. That puts greater importance on helping new workers build skills in adaptability, judgment, and collaboration with technology. Career counselors, trainers, and program leaders should be talking to job seekers about not just “what jobs exist” but also how those jobs are being reshaped.
Employers, too, need encouragement to think differently about early-career pathways. Instead of allowing automation to eliminate stepping-stone jobs altogether, we should be working with businesses to design opportunities where young workers learn how to work alongside AI tools. That might mean internships or apprenticeships that deliberately build AI-literacy and human-machine collaboration skills.
Finally, the report is a reminder that we need to keep an eye on the data. Employment trends in AI-exposed industries could shift quickly, and workforce systems should be ready to track and respond. As Brynjolfsson notes, building “early warning systems” will help us spot trouble before it spreads to other parts of the labor market.
The takeaway is simple but urgent: AI isn’t just a distant disruptor—it’s already shaping opportunities for today’s youngest workers. As workforce professionals, we have both a responsibility and an opportunity to guide how people adapt, ensuring that the future of work doesn’t leave a generation behind.
Read the full report here:
Canaries in the Coal Mine? Six Facts about the Recent Employment Effects of Artificial Intelligence