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While the artificial intelligence industry touts that AI will replace entry-level jobs, not every company is scaling back hiring these positions. In IBM\u2019s case, it\u2019s going all in.<\/p>\n
Hardware giant IBM plans to triple entry-level hiring in the U.S. in 2026, according to reporting from Bloomberg<\/a>. Nickle LaMoreaux, IBM\u2019s chief human resource officer, announced the initiative at Charter\u2019s Leading with AI Summit on Tuesday.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd yes, it\u2019s for all these jobs that we\u2019re being told AI can do,\u201d LaMoreaux said.<\/p>\n These jobs will look different than the entry-level jobs IBM used to offer, she explained. According to LaMoreaux, she went through and changed the descriptions for these entry-level jobs so they were less focused on areas AI can actually automate \u2014 like coding \u2014 and more focused on people-forward areas like engaging with customers.<\/p>\n This strategy makes sense. Even if an enterprise like IBM doesn\u2019t necessarily need the same amount of entry-level talent that it did before, fostering less experienced workers helps ensure these employees have the skills needed for the higher-level roles down the road.<\/p>\n IBM didn\u2019t specify how many people they would be hiring in this initiative. TechCrunch reached out to IBM for more information on the hiring plans.<\/p>\n This year could be a pivotal one regarding what the impact of AI on the hiring market will look like. An MIT study in 2025 estimated that 11.7% of jobs could likely already be automated by AI<\/a>. A TechCrunch survey<\/a> found that multiple investors think 2026 will start to show AI\u2019s potential impact on the labor market \u2014 despite not being asked about labor specifically.<\/p>\n