{"id":9311,"date":"2025-08-20T09:04:07","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T13:04:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.generation.org\/?post_type=news&#038;p=9311"},"modified":"2025-08-20T09:04:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T13:04:10","slug":"ai-at-work-a-global-entry-level-perspective","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.generation.org\/news\/ai-at-work-a-global-entry-level-perspective\/","title":{"rendered":"AI at Work: A Global Entry-Level Perspective"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Ai adoption is strong among entry-level workers across sectors and economies \u2014 and it&#8217;s making work life easier and more enjoyable<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Analysis finds that 65% of entry-level employees are using AI, and most are self-taught power users.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Most users are experiencing clear benefits, with nearly all AI users reporting that it\u2019s enhancing their performance at work and increasing their job satisfaction<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Survey tracks more than 5,500 entry-level workers in 17 countries, most of whom do not have a college degree, across a range of industries<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>A new global survey from Generation, the employment nonprofit that trains and places people into meaningful careers, reveals how entry-level workers are rapidly adopting AI tools \u2014 while also exposing some divides between those confidently using AI and those not yet there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The report, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.generation.org\/ai-at-work\">AI at Work: A Global Entry-Level Perspective<\/a>, was developed with support from MetLife Foundation. It draws on responses from more than 5,500 Generation global alumni who graduated in 2023 and 2024. It focuses on the AI experience of entry-level workers, most without a college degree, across a range of industries and 17 diverse economies. This offers a fresh perspective since most surveys have focused on professional service workers in high-income countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading blue\">AI is already part of daily life for many<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The analysis shows that AI use is widespread among entry-level employees, with 65% reporting that they use AI at work. Half are adopting AI on their own initiative, while the rest use tools provided by their employers or a combination of the two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Among AI users, 79% engage with AI tools at least once a week, rising to 89% in the tech sector. More than a third (37%) use AI daily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading blue\">Men are heavier users of AI than women<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>AI use among women lags that among men, with 53% of women across sectors saying they use it at work versus 76% of men. This gap narrows when you look specifically at the tech sector, with 80% of women saying they are using AI and 86% of men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sector differences are strong. Within tech and customer service &amp; sales sectors, adoption across genders is high \u2014 87% and 80% respectively. However, adoption in the green economy and skilled trades remains low, with just 12% and 10% of entry-level employees in these sectors using AI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading blue\">AI is being used in multiple ways by employees<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Entry-level employees are using AI for a broad range of tasks. In the tech sector, for example, 67% of respondents use AI for multiple functions \u2014 including learning (61%), content creation (49%), and administrative tasks (44%). In customer service and sales, content creation (43%) and learning (35%) are the top uses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And while use is lower in green jobs and skilled trades, early adopters in these fields are using AI to primarily learn new skills and create content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading blue\">Global adoption is strong \u2014 but perceived benefits differ<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite uneven uptake, most users are seeing clear benefits, with 94% reporting that AI has improved their ability to do their job \u2014 including 63% who say it helped a lot. Perhaps even more striking: 91% say AI has made their work more enjoyable, with 59% reporting a significant increase in job satisfaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the perceived value of AI varies across countries. In upper-middle-income countries, 70% of entry-level workers say AI has greatly improved their job performance \u2014 compared to 64% in lower-middle-income countries and 49% in high-income countries. Similar trends hold for enjoyment: employees in emerging economies are more likely to say AI has made their work more fulfilling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading blue\">Clarity around use cases would help further AI adoption<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>While adoption is strong overall, 35% of entry-level employees surveyed are not yet using AI at work. Among this group, 72% say they\u2019re interested \u2014 but face barriers including a lack of training (30%), uncertainty about how AI applies to their role (30%), and not having enough time to learn (12%). Only a small share cite trust issues or a lack of clear benefit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The full report is available <a href=\"https:\/\/www.generation.org\/ai-at-work\">here<\/a>. Generation will continue to survey alumni to gather their perspectives as they adopt AI, helping to shape Generation\u2019s programs and offering an ongoing window into the experience of entry-level workers in a variety of sectors around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Dr. Mona Mourshed, Founding Global CEO of Generation, said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cAI is reshaping the workplace \u2014 and across our thousands of alumni, most of whom do not have a college degree, we see entry-level employees are charging ahead, using tools to learn faster, work smarter, and enjoy their jobs more. We need to ensure every worker, in every sector, has the access and support to begin harnessing the power of AI in their roles.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Tia Hodges, President and CEO, MetLife Foundation and Head of Corporate Giving and Volunteerism, MetLife, said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cAt MetLife Foundation, we recognize the immense potential AI and other emerging technologies hold for expanding opportunities in our communities. That\u2019s why, we\u2019re proud to support Generation\u2019s efforts to help individuals build the skills they need to be competitive in today\u2019s workforce. We\u2019ve seen firsthand how AI can be a force multiplier for individuals and companies, and we are committed to making sure everyone, regardless of where they are in their career, can leverage and benefit from technology.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ai adoption is strong among entry-level workers across sectors and economies \u2014 and it&#8217;s making work life easier and more enjoyable. A new global survey from Generation, the employment nonprofit that trains and places people into meaningful careers, reveals how entry-level workers are rapidly adopting AI tools \u2014 while also exposing some divides between those [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":9334,"template":"","outlet":[],"audience":[],"class_list":["post-9311","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","wpautop"],"acf":[],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Generation","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.generation.org","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.generation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/9311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.generation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.generation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.generation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9334"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.generation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"outlet","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.generation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/outlet?post=9311"},{"taxonomy":"audience","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.generation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/audience?post=9311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}