Moving from ‘using AI to running on AI requires reinvention’ of technology, work design and workforce strategy together, says Accenture
Entry-level jobs are not going away even as employers continue to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) across their organization, according to a recent report.
Overall, 73% of business leaders say their organization will likely create new entry-level roles centred on AI over the next two years. A further 52% said they expect to hire more entry-level talent specifically because of AI.
Accenture frames the finding within what it calls "the emerging dynamics of the new workforce frontier," part of three workforce trends unfolding at once.
A previous report noted that AI is not eliminating entry-level jobs – it is fundamentally changing what those jobs require. Also, more than four in five hiring managers (81%) say entry-level jobs now require candidates to possess more skills than in the past, and 82% of job seekers agree, according to a separate survey released by Express Employment Professionals.
Skills gap concentrated in middle management
Both leaders and employees identified middle management, not entry-level or senior staff, as facing the largest AI capability gap. Accenture reported that 36% of each group named middle management as the area of greatest concern.
The report also found that 61% of employees now turn to AI before approaching a colleague for help.
Accenture's data does not specify what training organizations are currently offering middle managers to close the gap.
Leaders and employees diverge on pace of change
Accenture also found a gap in perception between executives and staff. Among leaders, 78% expect employee roles to change within 12 months due to AI, according to the report based on global surveys of 3,000 C-suite leaders and 3,000 employees at organizations with annual revenues exceeding $500 million.
By comparison, 57% of employees said their role has already changed, suggesting staff see the disruption as further along than leaders anticipate.
The groups also differed on readiness: 41% of leaders called their organization very prepared for talent disruption, compared with 34% of employees.
Investment continues despite economic caution
Also, leaders reported feeling less prepared to manage disruption than earlier in the year, down seven percentage points, Accenture said. Among leaders, 73% anticipate an inflation surge and 70% expect slower global growth.
Despite that caution, 82% of C-suite leaders are increasing AI investment, and 52% said they would keep investing even if an AI bubble burst, though only 10% believe a significant bubble exists.
Accenture described this as leaders "turning to pragmatism in response to disruption."
AI adoption is now nearly universal, Accenture reported, but enterprise-wide value remains limited. Just 23% of leaders said their organization has realized widespread, sustained value from AI, down from 32% earlier in 2026.
Agentic AI was cited as a marker of further progress: 49% of companies are piloting or deploying AI agents, and seven in ten leaders said its productivity impact exceeded expectations.
Accenture concluded that moving from "using AI to running on AI requires reinvention" of technology, work design and workforce strategy together.
