In France, CDI hiring of 21-29 year-olds fell by 28.3% in the jobs most exposed to generative AI, compared with 7.5% in the least exposed.
In Luxembourg, ADEM and several recruitment players are observing fewer junior positions, particularly in IT.
The available data do not show a collapse in youth employment, but they call for close monitoring of how entry-level jobs are changing.
Published on 8 October 2026, a study by the Banque de France conducted with LIFT, the HEC Paris laboratory, has reignited the debate on the impact of artificial intelligence on youth employment. Its authors show that French companies are hiring fewer young people on permanent contracts where generative AI can most easily assist with or carry out tasks.
What about Luxembourg, where artificial intelligence is spreading faster than in neighbouring countries? No official statistic currently measures its effect on hiring by age group, but data from ADEM, STATEC and the business press provide a first overview of youth employment.
Five economists ranked occupations by their exposure to generative AI, based on France Travail's job directory. Between November 2022 and March 2026, CDI hiring of 21-29 year-olds fell by 28.3% in the most exposed fifth of occupations, compared with 7.5% in the least exposed. The gap reaches 20.8 points among 21-29 year-olds, but only 3.8 points after the age of 50, according to the Banque de France. The decline stems mainly from fewer hires rather than from dismissals.
In a video published on 9 October 2026, franceinfo lists translators and interpreters, journalists, accountants, secretaries and developers among the most exposed occupations, while nurses, childminders and skilled workers are less affected.
Young software developers see the sharpest decline, with a 42% drop in their CDI hiring, according to figures reported by Clubic. According to franceinfo, 21-29 year-olds are more affected because they often hold first jobs involving simpler tasks, and they lack the experience to make themselves indispensable.
However, the authors remain cautious: their results describe a correlation between the spread of generative AI and the drop in hiring, without establishing a single cause, and franceinfo points out that Covid and remote work have also changed the job market.
According to an analysis by Paperjam, the stock of vacancies registered with ADEM shrank by 7.8% over one year, with declines in accounting and IT, while the number of jobseekers with a higher education degree rose by 17.7%. Unemployment among 15-24 year-olds stood at 18.9% in November 2025 according to Eurostat, against 15.1% on average in the European Union, even though the employment rate of recent graduates remained one of the highest in Europe, at 93.4% in 2022.
Artificial intelligence is said to be contributing to this tightening. Fanny Trovato, People & Culture Manager at Grant Thornton Luxembourg, says in Paperjam that opportunities to start out in positions directly affected by AI are "becoming rarer". Isabelle Schlesser, Director of ADEM, had already warned lawmakers in April 2026 about junior developers and programmers without jobs, as reported by L'essentiel.
"AI supports talent, it does not replace it".
The picture is nonetheless nuanced. According to Virgule.lu, the volume of IT job postings has remained broadly stable over twelve months, and around 1,300 postings mentioned AI skills in 2025, 16% of them generative AI. Antoine Boone, a recruiter at Value Partners Luxembourg, says his company continues to hire junior profiles: "AI supports talent, it does not replace it", as reported in our previous article Myth or reality: will artificial intelligence really eliminate junior positions?
Luxembourg is among the most advanced countries in terms of adoption. According to STATEC's December 2025 economic outlook note, cited by Aguram and relayed by Tout-Luxembourg, 24% of Luxembourg companies were using AI solutions in 2024, up from 13.2% in 2021, almost double the European average (13.5%). STATEC estimates that 90% of workers are exposed to AI: the work of 55% of them would be "augmented", and that of 14%, or around 64,000 jobs, could be automated.
The risk varies widely by occupation: it reaches 56% for administrative support staff, compared with less than 2% for managers, executives and intellectual professions. According to Paperjam, it is precisely the tasks traditionally given to juniors, such as basic reporting, research or data processing, that AI absorbs first.
Another signal being closely watched: headcount at the four big audit and consulting firms fell from 10,520 in January 2024 to 9,720 in January 2026, a drop of 8%, according to a July 2026 note from the think tank Idea, which puts forward three hypotheses, including generative AI.
In conclusion, the Banque de France study cannot be transposed as is to Luxembourg, whose market is smaller, highly skilled and strongly cross-border. The 2026 data nonetheless converge: artificial intelligence seems to be transforming entry-level positions first, without causing mass job destruction at this stage, but with higher requirements for young graduates entering the job market.
More precise answers are expected: in July 2026, STATEC and the IGSS presented the first provisional results of a pilot project modelling scenarios on AI, the labour market and pensions, and the Ministry of Labour has commissioned a sector study. For employers, the challenge is to keep training juniors so as not to dry up their talent pool.
Is artificial intelligence eliminating jobs for young people in Luxembourg?
No official statistic measures this directly. ADEM reports difficulties for junior developers, while the volume of IT job postings remains broadly stable.
Which jobs are most exposed to AI in Luxembourg?
According to STATEC, administrative support staff are the most exposed, with an automation risk of 56%, compared with less than 2% for managers and intellectual professions.
Is there a Luxembourg study equivalent to the Banque de France one?
Not to date. STATEC and the IGSS presented provisional scenarios in July 2026, and the Ministry of Labour has commissioned a sector study on AI.
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