81% of employers plan to increase early-career hiring, Korn Ferry finds
KFY•Korn Ferry found that 81% of employers plan to increase early-career hiring over the next two years. Its research covered more than 5,000 candidates and 500 HR and talent acquisition leaders across 13 countries.
1. Early-career hiring plans
Korn Ferry’s October 20, 2026, report found that 81% of employers plan to increase early-career hiring over the next two years. The report said 76% of talent acquisition leaders do not expect entry-level jobs to disappear at their organizations, while nearly three-quarters expect the work to change.
2. Roles are changing
Roughly half of organizations remain uncertain about how entry-level work will change. At some leading organizations, junior roles are shifting from repetitive tasks toward AI-assisted analysis, output testing and human judgment.
