AI Is Not Destroying the Labor Market, but It Is Making It Harder...

AI Is Not Destroying the Labor Market, but It Is Making It Harder to Enter a Profession

Economists Alex Imas and Jacob Shaar published a “living” review of about 25 studies, “Has AI impacted the labor market yet?”, showing that AI-driven unemployment and mass layoffs are not yet visible, but employment of young workers in AI-exposed occupations in the U.S. is already 19% below expected levels.

Compiled by Sergey KostenchukPublished 2026-10-03Updated 2026-10-03

2026-10-03 Business

💼 AI Is Not Destroying the Labor Market, but It Is Making It Harder to Enter a Profession

Alex Imas and Jacob Shaar published a “living” review of about 25 studies, “Has AI impacted the labor market yet?”: AI-driven unemployment and mass layoffs are not yet visible, but entry into a profession is under pressure. Employment of 22–25-year-olds in AI-exposed occupations in the U.S. is 19% below expected levels, and computer science graduates are 5 percentage points less likely to find a job and lose about 13% of their starting income.

🌍 The review consolidates data from ADP, Census, LinkedIn, CEDEFOP, Switzerland, and Sweden: AI is reshaping not the entire market, but “entry” into it—companies are cutting junior hiring, and strict causality has not been proven.

👤 For juniors and students in exposed fields, entry has become noticeably more difficult; the review is a map of risks when choosing a specialization. The overall market is calm, but it is worth following updates to the review.

Source 1: https://aleximas.substack.com/p/has-ai-impacted-the-labor-market Source 2: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49947253

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