As major employers accelerate AI adoption and cut thousands of entry-level roles, Coursera Inc. (NYSE:COUR) CEO Greg Hart says young workers must move faster than the technology reshaping the labor market.
Micro-Credentials Key To Staying Competitive
Hart, who became Coursera's president and CEO in February, told CNBC Make It that degrees alone no longer give graduates an edge as companies deploy automation across administrative, clerical and customer-facing jobs.
"One of the best things you can do is augment your university degree with micro-credentials," he said, explaining that short, skill-focused certifications can demonstrate initiative and readiness to learn.
AI Job Cuts Surge
Major firms have leaned heavily into AI this year, with Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) eliminating 14,000 positions and Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM) cutting 4,000 customer support roles, citing that automation can perform roughly 40% of tasks.
A recent survey from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development found 62% of U.K. employers expect junior roles to be the first displaced by AI.
Graduates face steep odds, with the Institute of Student Employers reporting 1.2 million applications for just 17,000 openings.
Hart said employers hiring entry-level workers evaluate character as much as capability: "They're not really hiring you for your experience… they're hiring you for your personality traits."
He called proactiveness, initiative and continuous learning the most valuable traits—and said micro-credentials prove them.
He even encouraged his finance-major son to take an AI-for-finance course to stay competitive.
AI Adoption Drives Productivity
Experts and surveys highlighted the growing impact of AI on the job market.
Last month, A Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE:GS) survey found only 11% of clients in tech, industrial, and finance sectors were cutting jobs due to AI, while most used it to boost productivity and revenue.
Tech and communications companies, however, saw more reductions, with Amazon, Salesforce and Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) laying off tens of thousands of employees.
In September, Geoffrey Hinton, the "godfather of AI," warned that AI could replace workers, increase unemployment, and concentrate wealth, while companies prioritized short-term profits over long-term effects.
Jefferies' strategist David Zervos added that even amid strong economic growth, AI-driven automation could push unemployment higher, with experts predicting 3–5 million jobs lost over the next three to four years.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock/ A Lot Of People
