Key facts
- NYC entry-level tech job postings fell 49% from 2022 to 2025.
- The number of new college graduates with computer science degrees exceeded entry-level tech job postings in NYC in 2023.
- Demand for AI-related skills in entry-level tech jobs increased by over 8,000% since 2022.
- Jobs with high generative AI exposure saw a 29% decrease in entry-level postings since 2022.
- Transportation and warehousing, and public administration saw increases in entry-level tech jobs.
Entry-level tech positions in New York City are becoming increasingly scarce, with postings falling 49% from 2022 to 2025, according to a September report by the think tank Center for an Urban Future. This decline is the largest among all career fields and is attributed to the rise of generative AI and broader economic uncertainty.
The report, "Strengthening NYC's Entry-Level Tech Pathways in the Age of AI," indicates that the number of new college graduates with computer science degrees surpassed entry-level tech job postings in NYC for the first time in 2023. This imbalance is hitting recent graduates and early professionals particularly hard.
While overall tech employment in NYC has remained stagnant rather than declining, the issue lies in the difficulty for new entrants to secure positions at the lower rungs of the career ladder. Simultaneously, demand for AI-related skills in entry-level tech postings has surged by over 8,000% since 2022, coinciding with the release of ChatGPT.
Jonathan Bowles, executive director of the Center for an Urban Future, suggested that while AI hasn't yet created enough jobs to offset the decline, this could change as AI company growth accelerates. He recommended encouraging young professionals to gain experience in civic tech, government, nonprofits, and small businesses to enhance their marketability.
Economic factors beyond AI, such as rising interest rates that cooled tech investment and a focus on profitability over growth, have also contributed. The redirection of capital towards data centers and compute infrastructure, coupled with inflation, tariffs, and geopolitical instability, created a challenging environment for early-career tech jobs, further exacerbated by NYC's high cost of hiring.