McKinsey Sounds Alarm: AI Wipes Out Entry-Level UK Jobs Since ChatGPT’s Rise

AI doesn't sleep—and now it's gunning for your job. McKinsey's latest warning hits like a Monday morning espresso shot: entry-level roles in the UK are collapsing faster than a crypto startup's tokenomics.

Graduate schemes? Automated. Junior analysts? Obsolete. The post-ChatGPT era isn't coming—it's already here, and it's wearing a 'digital transformation' nametag while pocketing your salary.

Meanwhile in finance: Traders still can't decide if AI is a threat or a tool—but they'll charge you 2% to manage your panic either way.

TLDRs;

• Job postings in the UK have fallen 31% since 2022, with AI-exposed roles dropping even more sharply.
• Entry-level positions have been especially hard hit, falling nearly one-third since ChatGPT’s release.
• White-collar professions like consulting, programming, and design are seeing a steep hiring pullback.
• Sectors less touched by AI, such as real estate and education, are seeing job growth amid the disruption.

The United Kingdom is witnessing a significant shift in its labor market as artificial intelligence continues to alter how companies hire and structure their teams.

According to a recent analysis by McKinsey & Company, job postings across the UK fell by 31% in the three months leading up to May 2025 compared to the same period in 2022. The report emphasizes that this downturn is more pronounced in sectors and roles most vulnerable to AI integration, raising concerns about the future of traditional career pathways, especially for those just entering the workforce.

Early-Career Roles Suffer Most in AI Transition

McKinsey’s findings indicate that entry-level positions are taking the brunt of this disruption. Since the public launch of ChatGPT in late 2022, postings for junior roles, apprenticeships, and internships have dropped by nearly one-third.

Job platforms such as Adzuna show that positions typically designed to onboard new graduates or early-career professionals have become scarcer, as companies increasingly automate tasks that were once considered stepping stones in career progression. Research, note-taking, and document review, jobs often delegated to junior staff, are now handled more efficiently by generative AI systems.

Creative and Tech Sectors Pull Back Despite Growth

Paradoxically, even as the tech and consulting industries report healthy business growth, they are cutting back on hiring. Roles in graphic design, programming, and management consulting have seen declines in vacancies of more than 50% over the past three years.

These are precisely the fields that AI tools have rapidly transformed. For example, McKinsey’s own deployment of its internal AI platform, “Lilli,” shows how automation is replacing tasks like writing proposals and building presentations, previously done by junior consultants, as firms become more reliant on generative AI.

Not all industries are retreating. Job postings in sectors with minimal AI exposure, such as education and real estate, have actually increased during the same timeframe. These sectors continue to rely heavily on human interaction, judgment, and emotional intelligence, making them less susceptible to immediate automation. This growing divergence is beginning to reshape the broader labor market, with certain skills rapidly losing value while others remain in demand.

A Rethink of Workforce Strategy 

McKinsey’s analysis highlights a fundamental re-evaluation of workforce strategies. Companies are not just reducing headcount but reconfiguring job roles altogether, anticipating long-term productivity gains from AI adoption.

As junior roles vanish or become more specialized, the traditional career ladder appears to be splintering. Experts suggest that the apprenticeship model, which has underpinned professional growth in sectors like consulting for decades, may need reinvention.

With the foundation of entry-level work eroding, young professionals face a new reality, one where AI fluency and adaptability may become prerequisites, and where career development no longer follows a predictable path.