CIPD Podcast 228: The missing first rung: Are we sleepwalking into a talent crisis?
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Mar 18, 2026 Lizzie Crowley, a skills policy adviser focused on youth labour markets; Craig Pattison, an executive coach and leadership specialist; and Orianne Whiteman, Emerging Talent Director at Arm, discuss disappearing entry-level roles. They explore how AI and cost pressures hollow out first rungs. They debate redesigning roles, apprenticeships, rotations and HR’s role to preserve learning pathways and future capability.
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Temporary Summer Work Built Real Office Skills
- Orianne Whiteman recounted early summer and temporary financial-services work that taught office behaviours and soft skills.
- She said that temporary roles prepared her for a master's and later helped build valued workplace behaviours.
Entry-Level Hiring Has Already Shrunk
- Entry-level hiring has noticeably declined since 2022 and is concentrated where routine admin tasks are common.
- Lizzie Crowley links this decline to both cost pressures and automation, with professional services showing early pipeline damage.
Entry Roles Build Judgment Not Just Output
- Entry-level roles are not just output machines; they are learning environments where judgement and decision-making are developed.
- Craig Pattison emphasises failing safely in junior roles builds the judgment future leaders will need.