AI Is Freezing Entry-Level Hiring More Than Cutting Jobs, Peking University Researcher Says

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the global labor market not by triggering mass layoffs of existing workers but by causing employers to pull back on hirings for new, entry-level positions, according to a Peking University researcher.

During a recent interview with Caixin on the sidelines of the Summer Davos forum in Dalian, Zhang Dandan, a professor at Peking University’s National School of Development, said that macro employment and unemployment rates remain stable as companies prefer to freeze or reduce external recruitment rather than proactively firing current staff. Even when small-scale layoffs occurred, many affected workers could find new jobs quickly, preventing an extension of an unemployment cycle.