AI Threatens Junior Jobs: Do Companies Prefer Claude Over Gen Z?

Students in the Netherlands are expressing significant concern and cynicism about the impact of artificial intelligence on the job market, particularly for entry-level positions. Elena (23), a humanities student at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, shared that a friend applied for dozens of internships without success, suspecting applications are being processed by AI.

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Someone I know applied for dozens of internships and didn't get a single one.

"They use AI, we use AI, everyone uses AI. But because of that, cover letters and resumes all look the same now, what's the point of that, I wonder?" Elena questioned. Her peer Inca (21) added that a friend working as a translator for three years feels demotivated by constant news about AI taking jobs, leading to a feeling that trying to find work is futile.

These concerns are reflected in labor market data. Youth unemployment in the Netherlands, for those aged 15 to 25, has risen to around 9 percent, significantly higher than the overall unemployment rate of 3.9 percent. A Rabobank study indicated a sharp decline in junior vacancies within job sectors most vulnerable to generative AI, with employment for 15- to 24-year-olds dropping 13 percent in these fields since late 2022. Banks, law firms, and consultancies globally are already hiring fewer junior staff, anticipating permanent changes to roles due to AI.

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They use AI, we use AI, everyone uses AI. But because of that, cover letters and resumes all look the same now, what's the point of that, I wonder?

While it's an oversimplification to attribute all job losses solely to AI, as new opportunities also emerge and macroeconomic factors play a role, the effects are becoming measurable. AI is rapidly altering the nature of office work. International studies suggest companies are primarily automating simpler junior tasks. A recent analysis by Intelligence Group found that vacancies for starters in sectors like legal services, administration, and marketing in the Netherlands have fallen by 30 to over 40 percent in recent years. This trend fuels anxieties about whether employers prefer AI tools like Claude or ChatGPT over young job seekers, with labor market researchers warning of an "experience gap" and "entry level collapse" if this continues.

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I know someone who has been working as a translator for three years. He said people don't even bother trying anymore because they get so demotivated by the constant news that you won't have a job, that your work will be taken over by AI, so you might as well not even try.