Employers seek adaptable workers as AI reshapes entry-level jobs: Study

The study finds AI is rapidly transforming entry-level roles, with employers increasingly prioritising adaptability, AI fluency and human-centric skills over traditional expertise

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly rewriting the rules of hiring, workforce development and career progression, with AI already performing nearly one-third of all entry-level tasks and fundamentally reshaping what employers expect from new recruits, according to a new global study by Cognizant and Pearson.

 

The report, The AI Workforce Pulse: The Adaptability Imperative, released on Thursday, said organisations are prioritising adaptability, AI fluency, critical thinking and human-centric skills over traditional technical expertise. It was prepared following a survey of 750 senior human resources (HR) professionals across India, the United States and the United Kingdom.

 

The study found that 37 per cent of entry-level tasks in India are already performed by AI, compared with a global average of 33 per cent, while 18 per cent of HR professionals reported that AI now handles half or more of the entry-level work that previously defined a first job.

 

 

The transformation is expected to accelerate rapidly over the coming years, with 96 per cent of HR leaders predicting that entry-level roles will evolve into positions where employees primarily supervise, manage and validate AI systems rather than perform routine operational tasks themselves.

 

Despite concerns that AI could eliminate entry-level opportunities, the survey painted a more nuanced picture. Nearly 94 per cent of respondents believe AI will create entirely new entry-level roles that do not currently exist, while 85 per cent continue to regard entry-level positions as essential for building future leadership pipelines.

 

According to the report, the nature of these jobs is changing rather than disappearing, with young employees expected to oversee AI-generated outputs, validate machine decisions, interpret results and intervene when human judgment is required.

 

"India is at the forefront of how AI is transforming entry-level work, with organisations already embedding AI into day-to-day operations at scale. We are seeing a fundamental redesign of roles, where early-career talent is expected to work alongside AI and focus on higher-value outcomes," said Rajesh Varrier, president, Global Operations, and chairman and managing director, Cognizant India.

 

One of the most significant shifts highlighted by the study is the growing importance of AI literacy beyond technology-focused occupations. An overwhelming 98 per cent of HR professionals said they now place greater emphasis on AI fluency when recruiting for traditionally non-technical roles such as marketing, legal services and operations.

 

The findings suggested that familiarity with AI tools is becoming a baseline workplace competency across sectors, much like digital literacy became indispensable in earlier decades. At the same time, employers are valuing distinctly human capabilities that complement rather than compete with AI.

 

The report found that 97 per cent of HR professionals believe soft skills have become more important in the age of rapid AI advancement. Communication, ethical reasoning, judgment, creativity and the ability to navigate ambiguity are emerging as critical differentiators in the labour market as machines assume a larger share of technical execution and repetitive tasks.

 

Similarly, 67 per cent of HR professionals indicated that they value liberal arts graduates more than they did previously, while 69 per cent expressed a preference for candidates with broad or interdisciplinary educational backgrounds over those with highly specialised academic training.

 

"Nearly 64 per cent of organisations reported placing a higher premium on the ability to identify new problems and develop innovative solutions than on solving familiar problems using established methods. The future workforce will need to excel not only in technical competence but also in problem framing, strategic thinking and intellectual agility," the report said.

 

The study also highlighted a widening gap between the demand for AI skills and organisations' ability to develop them internally. More than 91 per cent of HR professionals reported a sharp increase in employee demand for AI training over the past year. However, 60 per cent acknowledged that their learning and development programmes are struggling to keep pace with the speed at which AI is transforming job roles and workplace requirements.

 

Only 54 per cent of organisations surveyed said they are proactively preparing employees for future AI-driven role changes, while the remaining 46 per cent continue to address skill shortages reactively after gaps become apparent. The report warned that such an approach risks leaving companies perpetually behind the curve in a rapidly evolving labour market.

 

The shortage of AI-ready talent is already being felt across industries, with around two-thirds of HR professionals reporting difficulties in finding workers with appropriate AI skills. Another major finding of the study concerns the evolving role of middle managers, a layer of management often viewed as vulnerable to automation and organisational restructuring.

 

Contrary to expectations, the survey found that middle managers may become even more critical in AI-enabled workplaces. As routine supervisory and coordination tasks are being automated, managers are expected to focus on coaching, contextual decision-making, mentoring and helping teams integrate AI into everyday workflows.

 

As many as 95 per cent of HR leaders identified middle managers as crucial to ensuring employees use AI effectively, while 92 per cent said they are essential in redefining job roles as AI transforms day-to-day work. In addition, 97 per cent of organisations reported actively planning to redesign roles in response to AI-driven changes, placing middle managers at the centre of workforce transformation efforts.

 

"AI is reshaping the talent landscape and exposing the limits of traditional talent and learning models," said Kathy Diaz, chief people officer, Cognizant. "With the fundamental shift in entry-level tasks and skill requirements changing rapidly, organisations must rethink how they hire and develop talent at pace," Diaz added.