No, graduating seniors, it's not just a figment of your imagination. The tech industry's reduction in hiring fresh graduates has escalated to worrisome proportions. Aneesh Raman, LinkedIn's primary advocate for economic opportunities, recently issued a stark warning in The New York Times. He announced that the foundation tier of our career ladder is on the verge of collapsing as AI takes the place of time-honored starter roles.

Staking the ground with some sobering numbers: the 15 largest tech giants have slashed their recruitment of fresh graduates by over half since 2019, as per a study published this month by venture behemoth SignalFire. Their findings revealed that before the pandemic hit, graduates filled 15% of Big Tech's workforce, a figure that has dwindled down to a mere 7%.

However, don't be disheartened by these daunting headlines. The tech universe isn't shrinking – rather, technical roles are permeating through all sectors ranging from healthcare, finance to retail. Recent insights suggest that tech job count may surge from 6 million this year to around 7.1 million by 2034. As it stands, software developers are experiencing only 2.2% unemployment, which, although not perfect, is significantly lesser than the national average. But here's the plot twist: as an increasing number of companies major in AI, 87% of hiring authority figures have stressed on the importance of AI knowledge. The Wall Street Journal has also reported that a quarter of all job listings have incorporated AI as a prerequisite skill.