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Employers are looking for new junior hires that have “traditionally senior” skills, a new PwC study found. 

In PwC’s , released earlier this week, the firm analyzed over one billion job ads worldwide, with 2.4 million entry-level roles in the U.S. The company found that AI-exposed, entry-level jobs in the U.S. are now seven times more likely to list senior-level skills than they were in 2019. 

PwC defined “traditionally senior” skills as capabilities that appeared in senior-level job ads before AI entered the scene. They include skills like motivational leadership, team building and people management. 

“The good news is that many junior workers will be spared years of drudgery on basic, repetitive tasks,” PwC researchers said in the report. “The tough news is that those same workers need to quickly step up to demonstrate skills like leadership and strategic thinking.”

Firms expect junior employees not just to carry out tasks, but also to energize teammates, resolve conflicts and keep projects on track with minimal supervision. The higher expectations reflect a reality in which AI can handle more routine tasks, pushing humans toward work that involves coordinating others and setting direction, even early in their careers. 

At the same time, employers emphasize face-to-face interactions and interpersonal skills, especially in roles where AI tools shine in daily work. PwC’s analysis of U.S. entry-level roles highlights that AI-exposed junior jobs disproportionately demand leadership, creativity and in-person collaboration. This goes to show that human contact becomes the differentiating factor when AI handles repetitive tasks, per PwC. 

Judgment and decision-making

Another group of traditionally senior skills emphasized in PwC’s report includes judgment and data-driven decision-making. Junior employees who acquire these skills can interpret outputs, question whether they make sense and choose between options instead of simply following instructions. 

The barometer points out that as AI increasingly automates routine cognitive work, employers shift their focus to higher-order human capabilities like critical thinking, problem solving and independent decision-making. 

“As AI replicates more and more traditional human skills, the non-AI skills that companies need are changing too,” PwC researchers said in their prior commentary. “Your finance team, for example, may need fewer reconciliation skills and more skills in advising the business.”

Other research on rising expectations for junior workers

Other studies echo this trend of “senior” expectation at the entry-level, even outside AI-specific roles. For instance, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy soft skills like professionalism, communication and critical thinking as “even more important” than basic academic skills for work readiness, especially among young employees. 

“Companies have identified the following competencies as key to the success of young workers in the 21st century workplace,” Department of Labor researchers wrote, highlighting skills like teamwork and communication. 

Meanwhile, the World Economic Forum earlier this year about AI’s impact on an entry-level workforce. 

According to the briefing, “entry-level workers are aware of AI’s growing impact and recognize both opportunity and disruption.”