IBM Tripling Gen Z Entry-Level Hiring Amid AI-Driven Workforce Shift

IBM announced it is tripling Gen Z entry-level hiring, despite pressure from industry executives to cut junior roles as AI automation expands. The tech giant cited a 5.6% unemployment rate for recent college graduates and a strategic shift to build AI-literate talent pipelines, redefining entry-level roles to emphasize AI fluency, customer interaction and HR-bot collaboration. “We are tripling our entry-level hiring over the next 12 months, including software developers and other AI-adjacent roles,” said Nickle LaMoreaux, IBM’s chief human resources officer. “While automation is reshaping tasks, we are expanding roles that require human-AI interaction and initiative.” The company plans to cut thousands of workers by year-end to focus on high-growth software and AI areas, but a spokesperson said the round of layoffs will impact a low-single-digit percentage of its global workforce and leave U.S. headcount roughly flat. CEO Arvind Krishna has backed expanding college hiring, stating, “I expect we are probably going to hire more people out of college over the next 12 months than we have in the past few years.”