All articles tagged with #employment
Mercer’s Global Talent Trends survey finds 99% of CEOs expect AI-driven layoffs within two years as companies redesign work around automation; only 32% believe the workforce can optimally combine human and machine capabilities, with concerns about early-career workers and rising anxiety over AI displacement.
Graduating students across the U.S. booed speakers who framed AI as the future boon, reflecting a real surge of anxiety about how AI will affect entry-level jobs. Data on the Class of 2026 show higher unemployment for grads, a tighter hiring market, and a big spike in searches for entry-level roles, while Gallup finds Gen Z’s excitement about AI waning and concerns about risks outweighing benefits. Experts say the backlash goes beyond a momentary reaction and signals a broader skepticism about AI’s impact on work and creativity.
A Washington Post piece follows new computer science graduates, like CMU’s Audrey Hasson, as they enter a job market increasingly reshaped by artificial intelligence. While AI creates exciting opportunities in new roles, many experts warn skills could become obsolete, prompting grads to weigh industry jobs against further study and adapt to evolving hiring trends across tech companies.
Gen Z's enthusiasm for AI is waning amid rising anxiety about job displacement and a public backlash at commencements; surveys show a 14% drop in excitement and growing anger toward AI, even as many young people still use AI daily. The mood shift coincides with a tougher job market and a nostalgia for older tech, with some grads and workers resisting AI strategies while others see AI as accelerating their careers.
Fortune reports Gen Z grads face a notably tougher job market than their millennial predecessors: about 58% of 2024–2025 graduates were still seeking their first job, and only around 12% landed full-time work by graduation, compared with higher prior-generation rates; globally, about 4.3 million Gen Z are NEETs, with UK NEETs rising too. AI-enabled hiring and a squeeze on entry-level roles are shrinking opportunities, prompting grads to pursue unconventional paths and urging earlier entry into the workforce as the traditional college-to-career promise weakens.
Employers added 115,000 jobs in April, a solid gain in a labor market facing higher fuel prices and geopolitical headwinds, with the unemployment rate holding at 4.3%. The report—against a backdrop of energy-price pressures and Iran-related uncertainty—suggests continued labor-market resilience but warns that gains may be uneven across sectors as policymakers watch for how energy and tariff dynamics unfold.
U.S. stock indexes rose as the job market held up better than expected, easing geopolitical concerns from Iran and boosting risk appetite.
Former UK PM Rishi Sunak says AI is flattening the job market for graduates and calls for phasing out National Insurance over time, replaced by taxes on corporate profits to fund hiring and productivity gains, while noting that entry-level roles in law, accounting and the creative industries are hardest hit as firms embrace AI.
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick argues at Semafor’s World Economy 2026 that AI should be embraced rather than feared: while aware AI can be used for evil, he believes the 'woe is me' narrative is overblown and that AI will boost productivity, enable artists to focus on higher-quality work, and ultimately support more employment, not less. He notes AI is a tool for automating mundane tasks—illustrated by a 'grass' example—and that human creators remain essential for forward-looking content. The company recently laid off its AI head Luke Dicken, and GTA 6 reportedly has little to no AI involvement in development. Zelnick frames AI as an unstoppable force that will drive efficiency and creativity across Take-Two’s studios.
Economists, AI specialists, and superforecasters increasingly model AI progress as disruptive, predicting a modest dip in labor-force participation toward about 60% by 2030 under rapid AI progress, but with no consensus on a doomsday scenario and acknowledging that policy and adaptation will shape how work changes.
A Gallup poll of ages 14–29 finds Gen Z’s daily AI use has plateaued, with rising anxiety and fading hope about AI’s benefits. While curiosity remains, concerns about mental health, the job market, and other risks accompany a skepticism toward productivity gains from AI, and most Gen Z respondents prefer human-made work. The trend suggests this tech-native generation could shape AI adoption in the workforce and potentially influence hiring, even as major firms invest heavily in AI; experts say firms must address broader social impacts beyond just productivity boosts.
New research using official labour statistics corroborates private payroll data, showing about half a million fewer coders today than pre-LLM-era trends. The 'bundles of tasks' framework explains why junior and contractor coding jobs are more exposed to AI displacement, while senior developers and domain experts resist as AI automates lower-value tasks and multiplies the rest, implying a widening divide in white-collar work as AI capabilities grow.
A Washington Post report drawing on American University research finds that some widely pursued graduate degrees—especially in social work and psychology—may yield zero to negative financial returns, while degrees in medicine, law and pharmacy tend to offer higher financial payoff; the study calls for better information on program costs and benefits and notes outcomes can vary by gender and undergraduate background.
Kristin Cabot, Astronomer’s former chief people officer, says the viral kiss-cam moment with the CEO derailed her career, leaving her unable to find a job eight months after resigning and fueling a public debate on misogyny and online harassment.
Tech firms have blamed large-scale job cuts on AI, but evidence shows automation’s impact is real yet uneven and not a blanket trend; most tasks remain human-led, with AI influencing only certain occupations and sectors. layoffs are also driven by factors like post-pandemic over-hiring, investor pressure for higher margins, and strategic funding of AI initiatives. Analyses from Goldman Sachs, Anthropic, and PwC suggest AI will reshape roles and productivity, potentially flattening the traditional corporate hierarchy rather than causing mass displacement.