Written by Hudaa Ahmed | Published by Happening News SA
A young South African sends out application after application, hoping for one opportunity to enter the working world. What they may not realise is that some entry-level jobs are no longer being advertised.
The work still exists. It is simply being completed by fewer employees using artificial intelligence.
A recent survey found that more than one-third of British employers had reduced entry-level opportunities during the past year, partly because of AI and automation. Almost half of larger employers reported having fewer vacancies than a year earlier.
For South Africa, where young people are already struggling to enter the job market, this is more than an overseas trend. It is a warning about what could happen as businesses increase their use of AI.
Which jobs are most at risk from AI?
Artificial intelligence is unlikely to enter an office and announce that someone has been replaced. The change is usually quieter.
Companies begin automating emails, reports, data capture, customer queries, bookkeeping and basic research. Gradually, one experienced employee using AI can complete work that previously required several junior workers.
The company may not retrench anyone immediately. It simply stops hiring the next receptionist, assistant, data capturer or junior administrator.
A Western Cape Government analysis identified retail and administrative work as particularly exposed to automation. Repetitive manufacturing tasks are also vulnerable, while lower and medium-skilled workers may face the greatest pressure.
The report estimates that the skills required by 36% of South African workers could change between 2025 and 2030. It also warns that AI could deepen inequality if displaced employees cannot access training and new job opportunities.
The greatest danger may not be the sudden disappearance of entire professions. It may be the removal of the first rung on the career ladder.
Entry-level employees build knowledge, confidence and judgment by completing basic tasks. If AI performs all the beginner’s work, how will beginners gain enough experience to become tomorrow’s experts?
Will AI create more jobs than it replaces?
The global numbers are dramatic. The World Economic Forum estimates that major technological, demographic and economic changes could displace 92 million jobs by 2030.
However, it also expects 170 million new roles to be created, resulting in a net gain of 78 million jobs.
These figures do not mean that AI alone will eliminate 92 million positions. The International Labour Organization found that one in four workers worldwide is employed in an occupation with some exposure to generative AI. However, it concluded that job transformation is more likely than complete replacement.
Even technology companies are discovering that replacing human workers is easier in a boardroom presentation than in a real workplace. Meta reportedly explored reducing some teams by as much as 60% while reorganising work around AI. The plan encountered employee resistance, security concerns and doubts about the technology’s reliability.
AI is also creating opportunities in cybersecurity, machine learning, data science, financial technology and digital services. The uncomfortable reality is that a displaced cashier or administrator cannot simply become a machine-learning engineer overnight.
South Africa is therefore facing a skills transition, not only a technology transition.
The SkillsBoost 2026 report calls for cooperation between employers, government, universities, TVET colleges and training organisations. Workers need practical opportunities to learn how to use AI within their existing professions. Employers must redesign entry-level positions instead of automatically deleting them.
AI may not take every job, but it will influence who gets hired, which skills remain valuable and whether young people are given the opportunity to gain experience.
The future of work will not be decided by whether South Africa adopts AI. It will be decided by whether the country uses it to strengthen workers or quietly lock them out.
Sources:
https://www.reuters.com/business/world-at-work/one-three-uk-employers-have-cut-entry-level-jobs-survey-shows-2026-08-25/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://www.reuters.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/how-metas-ai-workforce-transformation-plans-went-kaput-2026-08-26/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://www.ilo.org/publications/generative-ai-and-jobs-refined-global-index-occupational-exposure?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://www.westerncape.gov.za/edat/files/wcg-blob-files?file=2025-05%2Fai-and-its-potential-impact-on-the-south-african-labour-market.pdf&type=file&utm_source=chatgpt.com
