A survey of 1,000 US hiring managers at companies with more than 100 employees found that nearly half would rather spend on AI tools than hire and train a recent college graduate. Just over half have shifted part of their entry-level hiring budget to AI, and 45% now ask one senior employee working with AI to cover work previously done by several juniors. Most managers still plan to hire the same number of graduates or more, and the concerns they raise centre on basic workplace skills rather than qualifications.

• 48% of hiring managers would rather invest in AI tools than hire and train a recent graduate
• 55% have moved at least some entry-level hiring budget to AI
• 45% of organizations ask one senior worker plus AI to do the work of several entry-level grads
• survey of 1,000 U.S. hiring managers at companies with 101+ employees