In 2022, Rishabh Mishra joined a high-ranking engineering college in India’s Jabalpur with the most predictable dream in global tech: study computer science, write code, and one day make it to Silicon Valley.
Three years later, Mishra faces a sobering reality.
Artificial intelligence has gutted entry-level roles in the tech industry that Mishra and his classmates were counting on. Among his 400 classmates at the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing, fewer than 25% have secured job offers. His course ends in May 2026, and there’s a sense of panic on the campus.
Listen: Rishabh Mishra describes how the reality of tech jobs is very different from what he was told
“It is really bad out there,” Mishra told Rest of World. “Everyone is so panicked — even our juniors. As the degree end nears, the anxiety is heightened among all of us.” Some of his classmates are exploring the option of pursuing higher studies before entering the job market. “But after one year, if you return to the job market, your degree is even more irrelevant,” he said.
Students at engineering colleges in India, China, Dubai, and Kenya are facing a “jobpocalypse” as artificial intelligence replaces humans in entry-level roles. Tasks once assigned to fresh graduates, such as debugging, testing, and routine software maintenance, are now increasingly automated.
Over the last three years, the number of fresh graduates hired by big tech companies globally has declined by more than 50%, according to a report published by SignalFire, a San Francisco-based venture capital firm. Even though hiring rebounded slightly in 2024, only 7% of new hires were recent graduates. As many as 37% of managers said they’d rather use AI than hire a Gen Z employee.
“As demand for junior roles declines, even highly credentialed engineering graduates are struggling to break into tech, especially at the Big Tech companies,” the report said.
Even highly credentialed engineering graduates are struggling to break into tech.”
Indian IT services companies have reduced entry-level roles by 20%–25% thanks to automation and AI, consulting firm EY said in a report last month. Job platforms like LinkedIn, Indeed, and Eures noted a 35% decline in junior tech positions across major EU countries during 2024.
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