The youth labour market is transforming: companies prioritise the ability to learn quickly, adapt, and handle artificial intelligence over traditional degrees.
Getting the first job has never been easy, but the current landscape adds an extra layer of complexity. Artificial intelligence (AI) is automating repetitive tasks that once served as gateways for young people, while companies adjust their selection criteria. A degree or technical knowledge is no longer enough: organisations are looking for profiles capable of learning quickly, adapting, and working with new technologies.
This is explained by Julián Blausztein, HRBP Manager of Culture and Development at Adecco Argentina, who points out that youth employment is undergoing a profound transformation. Traditionally, junior positions served as learning spaces where young people performed operational or repetitive tasks. Today, many of those tasks are being automated by AI tools, raising the challenge for those entering the job market.
However, this does not mean fewer opportunities, but rather different opportunities. “Young people who incorporate digital skills, critical thinking, and AI management have an increasingly clear competitive advantage,” warns Blausztein.
Juan Manuel Cueto, Managing Partner at Hires, agrees: “AI is drastically reducing the repetitive and support tasks that junior profiles traditionally performed and were their gateway to the corporate market; but at the same time, it is creating new opportunities for those who understand the paradigm shift and master this technology.”
Sebastián Rago, Board Member of Halaxia, adds an additional problem: the lack of experience remains a difficult obstacle to overcome, compounded by the fact that those who study and do not enter the workforce in their professional field during their studies may end up with outdated knowledge after five years of training.
Lucila Tarrico, Senior Director of Talent Discovery at Monks, emphasises that AI does not come to take away opportunities, but to transform roles. “It acts as a tool to automate repetitive tasks and free up time for instances where human input remains essential. Those who do not adapt and do not learn to use it will likely start to fall behind. But for anyone who understands that they need to get on this train, a lot of doors open up.”
In her opinion, the difference today is not made by the tool itself, but by the management capacity, judgement, and effective communication of the person using it.
Jimena Belloso, Human Resources Director at L’Oréal Groupe Argentina, observes that young people who arrive with the ability to integrate these new technological tools into concrete business contexts have an immediate and differential competitive advantage. “It’s not just about knowing the tools, but mastering this new language and knowing how to apply it in different scenarios,” she states.
Where Are the Opportunities?
Mónica Canevari, BPO Director at Auren Argentina, points out that internships, trainee programmes, and young professional schemes are consolidating as one of the main gateways to formal employment. Companies continue to invest in these types of initiatives to train workers from early stages.
Among the sectors that are betting the most on these programmes are technology and knowledge economy, shared services and regional operations centres, logistics and supply chain, e-commerce, sales and business development, customer service and customer experience, industries focused on technical profiles, and energy and natural resources.
According to Canevari, the careers with the best prospects are those linked to technology, such as Systems Engineering, Data Science, AI, Cybersecurity, and Software Development, which maintain high levels of demand in both the local and international markets.
Additionally, technical courses and short careers of two or three years linked to industrial maintenance, automation, and programming facilitate a quick entry into the job market. The positions that are growing the most are those that combine technical skills with technology, such as production data analysts and remote screen operators.
For young people seeking their first job, the message from experts is clear: continuous training in digital skills and practical mastery of AI is today’s most valuable passport. It’s not about abandoning traditional studies, but rather complementing them with competencies that the market urgently demands.
In a context where 30% of young people in Argentina neither study nor work, according to recent data, adapting to this new reality can make the difference between being left behind or accessing quality job opportunities.
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