New-to-Market Job Seekers and AI: Impact and Concerns

Published April 21, 2025

Dive Brief

• Younger job seekers are expressing more concern than their older counterparts about AI’s impact on their skills and education, as reported by Indeed. Indeed commissioned a Harris Poll survey of 772 U.S. adult workers and job seekers with at least an associate’s degree for this report.
• There is an ongoing trend of businesses increasingly adopting AI, causing almost half of Generation Z job seekers to perceive that their college education is now irrelevant. This sentiment is shared by about one-third of millennials. Approximately 1 in 5 respondents from both the Gen Z and baby boomer cohorts reported feeling the same way about their college education.
• The pressure to reduce the emphasis on college degree requirements in job postings has led half of Gen Z job seekers to feel their degrees were a waste of time and money.

Dive Insight

The surge of AI integration in workplaces is affecting in-demand roles, salary trends, and even executive roles across industries. As younger generations face the potential for more disruption, their concerns grow. Indeed’s Senior Talent Strategy Advisor, Linsey Fagan, noted that every job currently posted on their platform will likely be influenced by generative AI and its implications. She emphasized the importance of every employee having a basic understanding of AI and its application within their companies.

“For any organization to succeed with AI, every single employee needs to have a basic understanding of AI and how their company uses it,” Fagan stated in an email to CIO Dive. “Leaders play a crucial role in this shift by assessing their teams, listening to individual needs, and supporting their development.”

In response to these technological shifts, CIOs are developing upskilling programs. Technology vendors are also facilitating these changes by providing open training programs to the public. Online learning platforms like O’Reilly are observing a significant increase in demand for AI training, as reported in a January study where the request for AI training more than quadrupled last year.

“To truly unlock the potential of AI, organizations must invest in their people, offering training, hands-on experiences, and opportunities to explore new tools in a supportive environment,” Fagan added. “Organizations need employees to be motivated to try these tools and want to apply them in their day-to-day.”

For more insights on how AI is reshaping job markets and human resource trends, subscribe to hrtechtrend.com. Note: This article is inspired by content from https://www.hrdive.com/news/indeed-AI-training-gen-Z/745876/. It has been rephrased for originality. Images are credited to the original source.