Australia's Central Bank Finds AI Hitting Young Workers First in Software and Customer Service
A new analysis by Australia's central bank shows that since late 2022, employment rates and job postings for workers aged 15 to 24 in high-AI-exposure fields have dropped more sharply than for older workers.
An analysis published on November 15, 2026, by Mike Major for the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) indicates that the initial impact of artificial intelligence on the Australian labor market is concentrated among entry-level workers and highly AI-exposed occupations such as software development, clerical work, and customer service. The data shows that while job postings have fallen across all groups since the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022, the steepest drop occurred in the highest-exposure group. Within this group, workers aged 15 to 24 and young college graduates have experienced weaker employment rates and higher unemployment compared to older workers.
Major cautioned against drawing early conclusions, noting that the study does not establish direct causation and measures only theoretical exposure rather than actual use by companies. Post-pandemic shifts in the business cycle or changes in remote work trends could also be driving these numbers. Additionally, according to SEEK data, AI is complementing existing work while simultaneously creating new demand for AI skills.
This finding aligns with recent independent studies. An August 2025 Stanford University study based on millions of US payroll records found a similar pattern, with employment among 22- to 25-year-olds in AI-exposed occupations down 13 percent in relative terms since late 2022, and nearly 20 percent among young software developers. Anthropic's March 2026 internal review also showed the share of junior hires in technical roles falling from 27 percent to 9 percent, with AI agents logging six times as many hours as human employees. However, a large study of 25,000 workers in Denmark confirmed a lack of economy-wide impact, finding no measurable changes in wages or hours worked despite a 64 percent AI adoption rate.