Operational Excellence (OPEX) Insight – Thursday, January 01, 2026: AI and the “Jobless Boom”: A Prolonged Global Workforce Reallocation Toward 2026.
Góc Nhìn Vận Hành Xuất Sắc – Thứ Năm, Ngày 01/01/2026: AI Và “Làn Sóng Mất Việc Kéo Dài”: Tái Phân Bố Lao Động Toàn Cầu Có Thể Tăng Tốc Đến 2026.
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English
PART 1 – OFFICIAL INFORMATION
During the 2024–2025 period, the topic of AI’s impact on jobs has become a central theme in economic reports, policy forums, and public statements by global technology leaders. Many research organizations, large enterprises, and leading experts converge on one point: AI is driving a profound shift in the employment structure, especially in developed economies, and this trend may extend into 2026.
In recent public remarks and interviews, Geoffrey Hinton, one of the most influential scientists in artificial intelligence, has warned that AI could trigger a structural wave of job losses, not limited to blue-collar labor but expanding into white-collar professions such as programming, data analysis, customer service, office administration, and other repetitive knowledge-work roles. Under this view, the issue is not that AI “suddenly takes jobs away,” but that many existing roles may no longer be necessary under a new operating design.
Alongside academic warnings, many major U.S. technology corporations have publicly emphasized operational efficiency and organizational restructuring in messages to shareholders and employees. In financial reports and investor meetings, these companies state that they are adjusting the workforce, reducing duplicative roles, middle-management layers, and jobs that can be automated or supported by AI. These moves are often described as long-term strategic adjustments, rather than short-term reactions to an economic downturn.
According to compilations from U.S. financial media, the concept of a “jobless boom”—economic growth accompanied by a slow pace of job creation—is increasingly mentioned in the context of AI. Some analysts argue that companies may maintain or even increase revenue through AI and automation, while hiring demand does not rise proportionally, especially for intermediate, support, or manual information-processing positions. This has raised concerns that growth in the coming years may not generate enough new jobs as in previous technology cycles.
However, official sources also emphasize that AI not only destroys jobs, but also creates new roles. Demand is reported to be increasing in areas such as AI engineering, data infrastructure, system security, AI model governance, digital transformation management, and restructuring leadership. Even so, these new roles typically require higher skills, longer training time, and the ability to work at a system level, rather than performing standalone tasks.
International organizations and labor research institutes also point out that the pace of job replacement may be faster than the pace of retraining if companies and governments do not have timely reskilling and upskilling strategies. This is why many recent policy reports emphasize preparing for a prolonged transition period, rather than expecting the labor market to self-balance in the short term.
Official information suggests that the employment picture in 2025–2026 is not simply a story of layoffs or recession, but a large-scale redistribution of labor roles. AI is changing how businesses create value, forcing organizations to reassess job structures, required skills, and operating models. In that context, a “jobless boom” is viewed by many experts as a plausible scenario if the capability transition does not keep pace with the speed of technological development.
