Anxiety over AI replacing entire industries has already pushed people to change course in their classes and career. Anxiety over AI replacing entire industries has already pushed people to change course in their classes and career. Matthew Ramirez started at Western Governors University as a computer science major in 2025, drawn by the promise of a high-paying, flexible career as a programmer. But as headlines mounted about tech layoffs and AI's potential to replace entry-level coders, he began to question whether that path would actually lead to a job. When the 20-year-old interviewed for a datacenter technician role that June and never heard back, his doubts deepened.

'The search is soul-destroying': Young jobseekers on the struggle to find work Young people are bearing the brunt of the UK's weak labour market, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Some 16.1% of people aged 16 to 24 are not able to find work, compared to a national unemployment figure of 5.1%. That does not include young people who are out of work but not looking for a job, due to ill health or who are still studying. Businesses, particularly in sectors that traditionally gave young people their first jobs, like retail and hospitality, say higher costs are leading them to cut staff or not take on new hires, which often hits young workers the hardest. But graduate-level roles are also proving harder to land.

As patients and employers look for alternatives to pricey GLP-1 drugs, Silicon Valley startup Twin Health is using AI and wearable sensors to help people make healthier choices. Rodney Buckley has lost 100 pounds in less than a year, not by using a GLP-1 drug but with the help of a digital twin. Last March, the 55-year-old retired firefighter turned village mayor of Third Lake, Illinois, was 376 pounds. He had tried different diets over the years and would typically lose some weight but eventually gain it back. When his wife's employer started offering a program from startup Twin Health, he thought he would give it a try.

New York state has required companies to disclose if "technological innovation or automation" was the cause of job loss for nearly a year. Over 160 companies in New York state have filed notices of mass layoffs since last March. None--in a group that includes Amazon, Goldman Sachs, and other employers that are adopting AI tools --attributed their workforce cuts in those filings to "technological innovation or automation." That option was added 11 months ago to a required question on paperwork that businesses with 50 or more employees must file with the state to notify of sizable job losses. New York's Department of Labor told WIRED that, as of the end of January, no employer had marked tech as the reason for their workforce reduction.

The Corporation of London is calling on employers to re-skill female workers not currently in technical roles. The Corporation of London is calling on employers to re-skill female workers not currently in technical roles. 'Mid-career' females also being sidelined by rigid hiring processes, says City of London Corporation Women working in tech and financial services are at greater risk of losing their jobs to increased use of AI and automation than their male peers, according to a report that found experienced females were also being sidelined as a result of "rigid hiring processes". "Mid-career" women - with at least five years' experience - are being overlooked for digital roles in the tech and financial and professional services sectors, where they are traditionally underrepresented, according to the report by the City of London Corporation. The governing body that runs the capital's Square Mile found female applicants were discriminated against by rigid, and sometimes automated, screening of their CVs, which did not take into account career gaps related to caring for children or relatives, or only narrowly considered their professional experience.

Increased use of AI and automation in businesses is increasingly replacing'low-complexity, transactional roles', the survey showed. Increased use of AI and automation in businesses is increasingly replacing'low-complexity, transactional roles', the survey showed. Survey reveals'mismatched AI expectations' between views of employers and staff over impact on careers More than a quarter (27%) of UK workers are worried their jobs could disappear in the next five years as a result of AI, according to a survey of thousands of employees. Two-thirds (66%) of UK employers reported having invested in AI in the past 12 months, according to the international recruitment company Randstad's annual review of the world of work, while more than half (56%) of workers said more companies were encouraging the use of AI tools in the workplace. This was leading to "mismatched AI expectations" between the views of employees and their employers over the impact of AI on jobs, according to Randstad's poll of 27,000 workers and 1,225 organisations across 35 countries.

Highly skilled professionals were forecast to be more in demand in contrast with other recent research. Highly skilled professionals were forecast to be more in demand in contrast with other recent research. Up to 3m low-skilled jobs could disappear in the UK by 2035 because of automation and AI, according to a report by a leading educational research charity. The jobs most at risk are those in occupations such as trades, machine operations and administrative roles, the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) said. Highly skilled professionals, on the other hand, were forecast to be more in demand as AI and technological advances increase workloads "at least in the short to medium term".

The increasing popularity of online two-sided markets such as ride-sharing, accommodation and freelance labor platforms, goes hand in hand with new socioeconomic challenges. One major issue remains the existence of bias and discrimination against certain social groups.

The number of sick and disabled people out of work is putting the UK is at risk of an economic inactivity crisis that threatens the country's prosperity, according to a new report. There were 800,000 more people out of work now than in 2019 due to health conditions, costing employers £85bn a year, according to the review by former John Lewis boss Sir Charlie Mayfield. The problem could worsen without intervention, but Sir Charlie, who will lead a taskforce aimed at helping people return to work, said this was not inevitable. The move has been broadly welcomed, but some business groups said Labour's Employment Rights Bill included some disincentives to hiring people with existing illnesses. One in five working age people were out of work, and not seeking work, according to the report, which was commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions by produced independently.

The Business Secretary has insisted the government is making it easier for businesses by reducing red tape. Peter Kyle defended Labour's approach to business, telling the BBC it will implement changes in a way that is pro-worker and pro-business. Ahead of next month's Budget, Chancellor Rachel Reeves is launching a crackdown on needless form-filling for businesses at the first-ever Regional Investment Summit in Birmingham. The government has been criticised by firms who say increased employers' National Insurance contributions and the Employment Rights Bill add to the burdens facing businesses. The Chancellor will say at the Birmingham summit on Tuesday that the changes will save firms almost £6bn a year.