Is AI putting graduates out of work already? (The Economist, 2026-05)
Is AI putting graduates out of work already? (The Economist, 2026-05)
Scatter plot showing US recent university graduates in full-time employment (surveyed six months after graduation), plotting %-point change in employment rate 2022–24 against exposure to AI by degree field.
Key finding: strong negative correlation — fields with highest AI exposure (Computer science, Information sciences, Finance) saw the largest employment drops (-10 to -15 pp), while low-exposure fields (Philosophy, Psychology) held flat or rose.
Links
- Article: https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2026/05/13/is-ai-putting-graduates-out-of-work-already
- Sources cited in chart: Anthropic; National Association of Colleges and Employers; The Economist
Notes
- Circle size = number of graduates in that field
- Dashed trend line shows clear negative slope across all fields
- Hardest hit: Information sciences (
-15 pp), Computer science (-10 pp), Electrical engineering (~-12 pp) - Relatively resilient: Philosophy, Psychology, Accounting (~0 pp)