Employers are accelerating reskilling programs as artificial intelligence automates entry‑level tasks and reshapes workplace pipelines. Citigroup told employees that 175,000 staffers will receive mandatory AI training to learn prompting and other skills executives say will keep workers marketable as tools change job designs. At the same time, researchers warn of a broader macroeconomic risk: AI exposure is eroding hiring for early‑career roles, with a Stanford study showing a disproportionate employment decline for young workers in AI‑exposed occupations. Analysts and workforce experts say heavy automation of apprenticeship‑style entry roles could create a “lost generation” of workers lacking on‑the‑job experience. Colleges and career‑services units face pressure to pivot: employers want graduates who combine domain knowledge with AI fluency, while policymakers debate retraining, apprenticeship expansion and incentives to preserve early‑career hiring.