Number of new UK entry-level jobs has dived since ChatGPT launch – research
The number of new entry-level UK jobs has dropped by almost a third since the launch of ChatGPT, figures suggest, as companies use artificial intelligence to cut back the size of their workforces.Vacancies for graduate jobs, apprenticeships, internships and junior jobs with no degree requirement have dropped 32% since the launch of the AI chatbot in November 2022, research by the job search site Adzuna released on Monday has found.These entry-level jobs now account for 25% of the market in the UK, down from 28.9% in 2022.Businesses are increasingly using AI as a route to improve efficiency and reduce staff numbers.
This month the chief executive of BT, Allison Kirkby, said advances in AI could presage deeper job cuts at the telecoms company, after it outlined plans two years ago to shed between 40,000 and 55,000 workers.Meanwhile, Dario Amodei, the boss of the $61bn (£44.5bn) AI developer Anthropic, has warned the technology could wipe out half of all entry-level office jobs in the next five years, and push up unemployment by between 10% and 20%.The figures from Adzuna follow a separate warning from its rival job search site Indeed, which reported last week that university graduates were facing the toughest job market since 2018.It found the number of roles advertised for recent graduates had fallen 33% in mid-June compared with the same point last year.
Big companies are increasingly relying on AI for jobs once reserved for humans.Klarna, the buy now, pay later fintech company, has said its AI assistant now manages two-thirds of its customer service queries.The US technology company IBM has said it is using AI agents to take on the work of hundreds of HR staff, although as a result it has hired more programmers and salespeople.It is still a matter of debate whether AI will do more to create or destroy human jobs.The International Monetary Fund has estimated that 60% of jobs in advanced economies such as the US and UK are exposed to AI, and that half of these jobs may be negatively affected.
However, the Tony Blair Institute has said potential job losses in the private sector could be mitigated by AI creating new roles,A recent report by the consultancy PwC found that workers with AI skills were being paid 56% more than those without knowledge of the technology last year, compared with 25% the year before,It also found that the mix of skills sought by employers was changing 66% faster in occupations most exposed to AI, such as financial analysts, than in those least exposed roles, such as physical therapists,This could mean that workers find it more difficult to keep up with changing demands for new skills,Sign up to Business TodayGet set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morningafter newsletter promotionThis month Peter Kyle, the technology secretary, said workers and businesses should “act now” on getting to grips with AI, or risk being left behind.
He said: “I think most people are approaching this with trepidation.Once they start [using AI], it turns to exhilaration, because it is a lot more straightforward than people realise, and it is far more rewarding than people expect.”The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know.If you have something to share on this subject you can contact us confidentially using the following methods.Secure Messaging in the Guardian appThe Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories.
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1 July changes: minimum wage, Centrelink payments, parental leave, road fines and everything else coming for the 2025-26 financial year
A wage increase for low-paid workers, changes to superannuation and significant reforms to the pension are part of sweeping changes being made on 1 July.The end of the financial year is typically when state and federal governments change a range of legislation, implementing new policies. This year there is a lot happening so let’s take a look at the big-ticket items.Good news for those on the bottom income line, the minimum wage will increase by 3.5%, to $948 per week or $24
UK food delivery firms step up checks after claims of illegal workers
The UK’s three largest food delivery companies have announced increased security checks for riders after ministers raised concerns about people working illegally for the firms.Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Just Eat have committed to increasing the use of facial verification checks and fraud detection technology in efforts to ensure only those with registered accounts can work on their platforms.The changes were announced after the firms met Home Office ministers on Monday to discuss people using the platforms to work illegally. Last week the shadow home secretary, Chris Philp, claimed to have found people working illegally for the firms during a visit to a hotel used to house asylum seekers.The new checks will be rolled out in the next 90 days
Gov.uk smartphone app to launch with limited functionality
A government app intended to “cut life admin” will be free to download by millions of UK citizens from Tuesday, but its functions will be limited and the cabinet minister in charge has admitted: “The design is not as we would like it to be.”The gov.uk app will be accessible on smartphones for people aged 16 and over and is intended to be the main mobile hub for many citizen interactions with the government, although not the NHS or HM Revenue and Customs.Peter Kyle, the secretary of state for science and technology, said the version launched this week would only steer users to existing government webpages, with more functionality to be added by the end of the year.A generative artificial intelligence chatbot trained on 700,000 pages of the gov
China hosts first fully autonomous AI robot football match
They think it’s all over … for human footballers at least.The pitch wasn’t the only artificial element on display at a football match on Saturday. Four teams of humanoid robots took each other on in Beijing, in games of three-a-side powered by artificial intelligence.While the modern game has faced accusations of becoming near-robotic in its obsession with tactical perfection, the games in China showed that AI won’t be taking Kylian Mbappé’s job just yet.Footage of the humanoid kickabout showed the robots struggling to kick the ball or stay upright, performing pratfalls that would have earned their flesh-and-blood counterparts a yellow card for diving
Katie Boulter rounds off Britain’s opening day in the sun at Wimbledon
Wimbledon is just not used to this kind of thing. On the hottest opening day in the history of the championships, with the temperature reaching 32.3C, British players sizzled with a record seven recording victories, the highest number on any day in the open era, beating the previous record of six.Sonay Kartal got the ball rolling with a brilliant 7-5, 2-6, 6-2 win against the former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, and more than seven hours later Katie Boulter set the new mark, beating that achieved on day two in 2022, with an equally impressive 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 win against the former world No 2 Paula Badosa.With 23 British players across the two singles events, the most since 1984, there was plenty of hope, if not total expectation, that several of them could progress to round two
Wimbledon 2025 day one: Raducanu eases through, Alcaraz survives huge scare – as it happened
From our reporters at Wimbledon today.An epic tie-break to end an epic day at SW19, and a set point for Rinderknech. Zverev launches an ace down the line for 7-7. Then another, and Zverev has set point. Not for long
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