Cull or cultivate? Protecting your entry-level leadership pipeline

AI is taking on junior tasks

Many large businesses have recently announced entry-level hiring cuts, citing AI as a driving factor. For example, Business Insider reported that the number of entry-level associates at PwC’s US business would fall by nearly a third by 2028, with the rest of the “Big Four” accountancy firms showing similar patterns – but slashing entry-level roles risks weakening the pipeline of future managers and even executive-level leadership.

Checklist: How are we developing future leaders?

• How do people in junior roles gain insight into our customers and markets?
• How do they acquire basic workplace skills, such as time management and effective communication?
• Are they able to learn from (and aspire to emulate) our leaders and role models?
• Can young minds experiment in a psychologically safe environment (where managers recognize that mistakes are a necessary aspect of innovation)?
• How do they learn to temper undesirable or potentially reckless behaviors?
• How is organizational culture passed on to the next generation of leaders?
• How can employees work out their strengths and weaknesses?
• Are we guiding them towards the area of the business to which they are best suited?
• Can older colleagues learn about the attitudes and preferences of younger cohorts (critical in areas such as marketing, for example)?
• Are we continuing to develop critical thinking skills in the organization (including the ability to analyze information objectively and challenge AI-related false assumptions and biases)?