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How AI Is Changing Hiring: Paper Trails in the News
AI is changing hiring by moving pay and job openings toward experienced workers who can get good results from AI tools, while entry level job postings shrink. The Washington Business Journal quoted me on this in a September 25 story, and Paper Trails, the payroll and HR company I run in Kennebunk, Maine, was one of its examples.
In this article, I'll share what the story said about us, what the hiring data shows, why we rewrote one of our job descriptions, how we keep our own AI use in check, and what all of this means if you're hiring in Maine right now.
Key Takeaways from this Article
- AI is shifting hiring toward experienced workers who can use AI tools well, while entry level job postings decline.
- Indeed Hiring Lab found advertised pay for the jobs most exposed to AI rose about 46% since 2021, compared with 25% for the jobs least exposed to AI.
- Compared with January 2025, Indeed's senior level job postings were up 13.5% as of May 2026, while entry level postings were down 6.3%.
- Paper Trails rewrote a senior payroll processor posting as a Client Solutions Consultant role to find someone who pairs AI skills with client relationship skills.
- Every AI tool at Paper Trails has an owner and a stated purpose, and a person checks anything before it goes into a client's payroll or tax data.
What Did the Washington Business Journal Say About Paper Trails?
The Washington Business Journal featured Paper Trails as an example of a small company changing how it hires because of AI. The story covered how AI is reshaping who gets hired and what they get paid. Here's the part about us, quoted directly from the Washington Business Journal:
"Cluff, the president of Paper Trails, a payroll and HR services company in Kennebunk, Maine with about 20 employees, wanted someone who could use AI tools and be more forward-thinking about connecting with and serving clients, so he rewrote the job description and changed the title to Client Solutions Consulting."
One correction on our end: the title is Client Solutions Consultant, not Consulting.
And further down in the piece:
"We received over 100 applications. Most had no payroll experience, but some did. Interviews start next week, and I'm excited to see what we get."
What Does the Data Show About AI and Hiring?
Indeed Hiring Lab's data shows pay and job openings shifting toward experienced, senior workers, and the shift is strongest in jobs most exposed to AI. Indeed defines exposure by how much of a job's skill set generative AI could change.
Here's how the numbers break down across two Indeed Hiring Lab analyses:
| Measure | Change | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Advertised pay, jobs most exposed to AI | Up about 46% | 2021 to 2026 |
| Advertised pay, jobs least exposed to AI | Up 25% | 2021 to 2026 |
| Senior level job postings | Up 13.5% | January 2025 to May 2026 |
| Mid level job postings | Down 6.7% | January 2025 to May 2026 |
| Entry level job postings | Down 6.3% | January 2025 to May 2026 |
The posting figures come from Indeed's analysis of the labor market tilting toward seniority. Two caveats are worth keeping in mind. Advertised pay is what employers post, not what people end up earning. And the gap between jobs more and less exposed to AI shows up mostly in senior roles. For entry level jobs, the difference is small. In other words, employers are paying up for experienced people who already know how to get good work out of these tools.
Why Did Paper Trails Turn a Payroll Job Into a Client Solutions Consultant Role?
Paper Trails rewrote and renamed a senior payroll processor posting because the old version kept attracting the same applicants, and we needed a different mix of skills. Posting the old job description got us the same candidates it always had.
So I rewrote it and changed the title to Client Solutions Consultant. I wanted someone who could use AI tools well and still sit across from a client and figure out what they actually need. That combination is harder to find than either skill on its own, and I think it's where a lot of hiring in our industry is headed.
What Is Paper Trails Building Toward With AI?
Paper Trails is building a team that can keep improving the AI tools and processes we already use while growing the part of our work that depends on people. Our common purpose at Paper Trails is to empower employers to build a business and workforce for today, tomorrow and beyond. That was true before any of this AI conversation started.
Our vision statement talks about always looking around the next corner for what's coming in the business world, and this feels like one of those corners. A year from now, I want a team that can do two things at once. One is refining our AI tools and processes. The other is growing the side of the business that runs on people who know a client's fiscal year ends in June, or that their bookkeeper just went out on leave, or that they'll call in a panic the week before a big payroll run. Software doesn't catch that. A person does.
How Does Paper Trails Keep Its Own AI Use in Check?
Paper Trails keeps AI in check by giving every tool an owner and a stated purpose, and by requiring a person to check anything before it goes into a client's payroll or tax data. We'd rather move a little slower and stay in control of what these tools do than hand off judgment calls that should still belong to a person.
For a payroll company, that's not a nice to have. A wrong pay rate or a missed tax deposit lands on a real employee's paycheck and a real business owner's desk. If you're working out rules like these for your own team, our guide on using AI responsibly in HR is a good place to start.
What Does the AI Hiring Shift Mean for Maine Employers?
For Maine employers, the AI hiring shift means competing harder for experienced people who use AI well, and thinking about who will train your next senior hire if you stop hiring at the entry level. It hits hardest in office and client facing roles, such as bookkeeping, administration, customer service and account management, where AI tools are already part of the daily work.
A few practical steps:
- Rewrite the role around results, not tasks. Say you run a 12 person insurance agency in Bangor and you're replacing your office manager. "Enters renewals into the agency system" describes the old job. "Uses AI tools to draft renewal reminders and catches errors before they reach a client" describes the one you actually need.
- Test AI skills in the interview. Ask a candidate to walk you through how they'd use an AI tool to draft a client letter, then ask what they'd check before it goes out. The second answer tells you more than the first.
- Keep an entry level path open. If your 30 person construction company in Augusta has a project coordinator retiring in five years, the person who replaces them probably needs to start as a junior hire soon. Fewer entry level openings across the market can make that easier, since you'll likely see more applicants.
- Write your AI rules down before you hand out tools. Decide who owns each tool, what it's for, and what a person has to review.
If you're rethinking how you find and keep good people, our article on building a talent acquisition strategy walks through the bigger picture. And if you're updating pay for a rewritten role, read up on Maine's pay transparency law before you post.
FAQs: AI and Hiring
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The AI pay premium is the extra pay employers advertise for jobs most exposed to AI. Indeed Hiring Lab found that advertised pay for those jobs rose about 46% since 2021, compared with 25% for the jobs least exposed to AI. The gap is largest in senior roles and small for entry level jobs.
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AI is pushing small businesses to look for people who can use AI tools well and still handle the human side of the work, such as client relationships and judgment calls. At Paper Trails, a payroll and HR company in Kennebunk, Maine, that meant rewriting a senior payroll processor posting as a Client Solutions Consultant role.
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Entry level job postings are down. Indeed Hiring Lab data shows entry level postings fell 6.3% between January 2025 and May 2026, while senior level postings rose 13.5%. Entry level postings have been trending down since they peaked in 2022, so the data shows a pattern but doesn't prove AI is the only cause.
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Paper Trails renamed the role because the old payroll processor title and job description kept attracting the same applicants. We wanted someone who could use AI tools well and also handle the relationship side of the job, not just the technical side.
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No. Paper Trails is refining the AI tools and processes it already uses and has rules around how the team uses them, but serving a client still runs through a person. Every AI tool has an owner and a stated purpose, and a person checks anything before it goes into a client's payroll or tax data.
What Comes Next for Our Team?
What comes next for Paper Trails is finding the right person for this role and keeping the same balance across the rest of the team: AI handling the repetitive work, and people handling the clients. That split is how we plan to keep serving Maine businesses well as the tools keep changing.
If you're rewriting a job description of your own or trying to figure out where AI fits into your payroll and HR work, we're happy to talk it through.
Written: October 2026
Written by: Chris Cluff
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