Short-term gain, long-term loss: Why replacing graduates with AI could backfire on businesses

As AI and automation reshape workplaces, companies are abandoning early-career roles that once nurtured future leaders. Graduate hiring is plummeting, youth unemployment is soaring, and entry-level experience is vanishing. This short-term cost-cutting threatens long-term resilience, leaving a generation stranded and businesses shallow. Without investing in junior talent, organisations risk not just stagnation—but structural collapse.