Since the start of this year, numerous reports have detailed AI taking over entry-level jobs. Fresh findings from the Brookings Institution and Opportunity@Work reveal that non-degree holders are also facing the full scale of this transition.

Among workers without college degrees, over 15 million are in jobs highly exposed to AI. Of those, about 11 million hold “Gateway” jobs (like customer service, tax prep, or administrative roles), which account for over 62% of such roles across the workforce.

For those in office-based or clerical positions, the impact is often more permanent than for graduates. Upward mobility for “STARs” (workers Skilled Through Alternative Routes) historically depends on these Gateway roles to build skills. However, as AI automates these steps, the clear path to move up the ladder is being erased.

“If these Gateway occupations play a critical role in a number of pathways, lots of pathways run through them, and they’re now at risk,” says Justin Heck, the senior director of research and data production at Opportunity@Work, to Fast Company.

“What does that mean for the lower wage workers for whom that would be the next step? And then what does that mean for all of the employers who are trying to hire for these Destination occupations who now don’t have that experience pipeline that they’ve relied on historically?”

The report notes that workers without degrees often have less “adaptive capacity.” While college graduates may pivot using broad professional networks and generalised skills, non-degree holders often possess specialised, experience-based skills. If AI takes that specific role, they have fewer resources to jump into a different field.

“There is a ton of coverage on the challenges for college graduates,” says Mark Muro, senior fellow at Brookings Metro. He told Fast Company that there is an urgent need to discuss non-degree holders, who are at the heart of social mobility, and the “pathways and sequences of jobs that they depend on.”

Currently, the most resilient non-degree roles are physical trades like plumbing and construction. One thing is certain: AI is erasing “Gateway” jobs and cutting off the upward mobility ladder, risking a trend that entraps these workers in low-wage roles.