A conversation with Prof. Dr. Lou Van Beirendonck on how AI is impacting opportunities for recent graduates
The academic year has just ended, and tens of thousands of recent master’s graduates are entering the job market. But doors that used to be wide open are getting much harder to pass through today. More and more organizations are cutting junior roles under the assumption that AI can simply take over those tasks, often without actually testing whether that works in practice.
Is stopping this intake a smart short-term cost saving, or are you undermining the long-term future of your own organization? On September 24, Antwerp Management School is bringing academia and practice together during the HR Challenge. We sat down with Prof. Dr. Lou Van Beirendonck to get a sneak peek.
Human Resource Management has gained enormous strategic importance in recent years. What do you specifically hope a concept like the HR Challenge will contribute to the field?
Knowledge is crucial, but today’s HR professional is expected to do far more than simply apply theory. You need to develop strong judgement: a well-founded vision of people and organization. That vision translates into concrete, often difficult decisions every single day. With the HR Challenge, we want to actively encourage professionals to reflect critically. We don’t do that with abstract theories, but by using realistic cases that are currently sitting on the desks of HR and leadership teams.
What makes an HR Challenge different from a traditional webinar or whitepaper?
In a whitepaper or webinar, you mainly translate the perspective of a handful of experts. During the HR Challenge, it’s all about co-construction and developing new insights together. The experts we invite don’t sit on a panel at the front of the room. They are active participants in the discussion groups.
We always choose a timely, pressing topic with a bit of friction around it, where ready-made answers simply don’t exist. We start plenarily with a short scientific and practical framework, after which participants tackle the case in smaller groups. Through give-and-take, agreement and disagreement, you sharpen your own arguments. You learn an immense amount of one another.
While the overall job-seeking rate among highly educated school leavers remains historically low (3% are still looking for work after one year, according to the recent VDAB school-leavers report from July 2026), the market is showing a clear slowdown. At the same time, business newspaper De Tijd points out that the specific demand for university graduates has hit a record low, while the number of job-seeking master’s graduates has surged by nearly 60% since 2022.
One of the pressing topics is the tough entry market for young talent. Why is employment for recent graduates such a key debate this year?
There are two major trends that play today. On the one hand, there is an ongoing societal debate around Gen Z. We frequently hear that juniors need to learn how to work, or that graduates only stay with their first employer for a year and a half on average.
However, the biggest impact today comes from the technology side. Artificial intelligence is rapidly taking over typical junior assessments. Think of data analysis, research, building presentations, or writing reports. Many organizations are asking themselves: “Why should we still hire recent graduates if AI can do this faster and cheaper?”.
But that creates a major paradox. If you don’t give juniors opportunities today, there is no learning curve and no chance to build experience. You solve a short-term efficiency issue, but you severely compromise the long-term stability and leadership pipeline of your organization.
During the event, you will also engage in dialogue with recent graduates themselves. Why is that essential?
For us that comes down to a fundamental principle of fairness. We talk with people, not about people. If you are holding a strategic debate about a specific target audience, they need to have a seat at the table as well.
Besides, their perspective is refreshing. This generation grew up in a digital ecosystem. They are uniquely well-prepared for the integration of humans and machines. Organizations that manage to onboard them effectively will find that these young professionals reach high productivity and efficiency far faster than we are traditionally used to.
Internal training becomes the new war for talent When AI takes over routine tasks, HR priorities inevitably shift from selecting based purely on experience to developing skills in-house. Companies that dare to invest in training juniors today are building the resilient organization of tomorrow.
AMS academics, market leaders like Randstad and Securex, HR professionals, and recent graduates… It promises to be an inspiring mix. When will the evening be a personal success for you?
The HR Challenge is a success for me if we haven’t just sparked thought but have also given the participants the insight and conviction to make a real difference within their organizations. HR professionals are under immense pressure to make quick calls today. If they leave this evening with grounded arguments and insights from peers, experts and recent graduates, they can confidently defend the right long-term strategic decisions in the boardroom.
To be very concrete though: it’s only a true success if all participants stick around at the networking reception afterwards, continuing the debate with enthusiasm, and we have to politely ask them to leave the foyer at 10 PM. That’s when I know we haven’t just shared knowledge but have truly initiated a valuable dialogue.
Would you like to join this crucial debate and network with leading HR professionals? Seats for the HR Challenge on Thursday, September 24 are intentionally limited to keep interactions personal and impactful.
