If it feels harder than it should be to get a first job right now, the numbers back you up.
Key takeaways
- A Harvard study found entry-level hiring collapsed by roughly 80% per quarter at firms adopting AI most heavily. Data from Cadient shows a 73% drop over four years in salaried openings.
- 98 live listings in this category publish a rate, at a median top-of-range of $50 an hour and a ceiling of $280.
- The work is remote contract work, asynchronous, with no set hours and no guaranteed volume.
- Applications screen on a short skills assessment rather than a resume or interview.
What was reported
The finding
A Harvard study found entry-level hiring collapsed by roughly 80% per quarter at firms adopting AI most heavily. Data from Cadient shows a 73% drop over four years in salaried openings requiring no prior experience, now representing about one in 50 jobs. Employers have also been loading junior postings with senior-level requirements, a shift researchers call seniorization.
Entry-level hiring fell by roughly 80% per quarter at the firms adopting AI hardest, according to a Harvard study. Separately, salaried openings that require no prior experience are down 73% over four years and now make up around one in 50 postings. Junior roles that do exist increasingly ask for judgment and stakeholder management, which are not junior skills.
What the listings pay
Against that backdrop, 98 listings on our board still accept applicants with no prior experience, at a median top-of-range of $50 an hour and a ceiling of $280.
| # | Role | Advertised rate | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Senior Journalist / Writer | $245 to $280 an hour | micro1 |
| 2 | Therapeutic Area & Clinical Survey Expert | $200 to $200 an hour | Mercor |
| 3 | Generalist | $80 to $160 an hour | Mercor |
| 4 | Medical Writer | $90 to $150 an hour | Mercor |
| 5 | Healthcare Survey Research & Pharma Insights Expert | $140 to $140 an hour | Mercor |
| 6 | Survey Research & Consumer Insights Expert | $120 to $120 an hour | Mercor |
| 7 | Visual Annotation Expert | $45 to $120 an hour | Mercor |
| 8 | Infusions Insurance Verification Call Script Writer | $60 to $115 an hour | Mercor |
| 9 | E&S Insurance Underwriter - AI Trainer | $90 to $110 an hour | Mercor |
| 10 | Senior Hospitalist Clinical Reviewer | $70 to $100 an hour | micro1 |
Source: 98 live listings on this board that publish a rate, read directly from each posting on 2026-09-06. Listings without a published rate are excluded rather than estimated.
How this compares across the board
A rate only means something next to the alternatives. This is every category we track with at least five listings publishing a rate, ranked by median top-of-range, so you can see where this work sits rather than taking a single number on trust.
| Category | Listings | Median low | Median top | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legal | 95 | $100 | $140 | $400 |
| Medical | 68 | $77 | $120 | $400 |
| Consulting | 45 | $80 | $120 | $280 |
| Finance | 94 | $80 | $110 | $280 |
| Engineering | 114 | $70 | $100 | $300 |
| Research/PhD | 132 | $70 | $90 | $280 |
| Writing | 36 | $40 | $80 | $280 |
| Bilingual | 78 | $44 | $52 | $120 |
| Annotation | 25 | $12 | $24 | $120 |
Same source and date as above. Categories are matched on listing title, so a role can appear in more than one.
What it means for you
One thing worth understanding about how these are screened. Most use a short sample task rather than an interview, so a thin resume is not the obstacle it is elsewhere. But no experience required is not the same as nothing required. Any degree, second language, or professional background you have should go in your profile, because those are what move you off the base rate.
Who should apply
Two checks before you spend time on an application. Confirm the role accepts applicants from your country with the eligibility checker, since a meaningful share of listings carry location requirements. Then run the advertised rate through the take-home calculator, because this is contract work and the headline figure is before self-employment tax.
Applications complete on the hiring platform and usually take a few minutes, with a short skills assessment in place of an interview. Fill in every credential, language and professional background field on your profile. Those are what route you to the better paid listings, and most applicants leave them blank.
Frequently asked questions
Are there really jobs that take no experience?
Yes. 98 of the live listings we track require none, with a median top-of-range of $50 an hour. They screen on a sample task rather than a work history.
Why is entry-level hiring collapsing?
Reported causes include AI adoption, remote work patterns and general hiring caution. One London School of Economics study found remote work was a better predictor than AI, so the picture is genuinely contested.
How do I stand out without experience?
Complete the sample task carefully and fill in every profile field. Languages, degrees and professional backgrounds are what platforms use to route you to better paid work.
How much can I realistically earn?
At these rates and typical available hours, treat it as supplementary income at first. Volume is not guaranteed and varies by project.
What should I do after getting accepted?
Apply immediately to specialist listings matching anything you know. That step is where the pay difference is, and most people skip it.
Sources
See every live role
The full board updates several times a week, with the advertised rate on each listing and closed roles removed.