One theme which has come up frequently in conversations I have with people about their career is how to get recognized for contributions. Particularly, how to get recognized for work (and rewarded for it) without being self-inflating.

Getting recognized for the work you put out is very important. Some work is harder to see than others, especially if you’re a member of a team working toward something bigger. If you can’t talk about or easily demonstrate what you’ve done and can do, neither will your leadership. It’s up to you to speak up for yourself. If you’re in a role with key performance indicators (KPIs)(metrics that measure how well you do your job) that you have to meet, understanding your output becomes even more important for keeping your job and ascending in your career.

Talking about ourselves in a positive and realistic manner is challenging. Talk about what you’re doing too much and you come across as self-centered or prideful. Don’t talk about yourself and people think you don’t contribute. Never speak up for yourself and you get walked on. Finding that balance between talking about yourself well without overdoing it is hard to find, but it is doable.

Here’s why it matters:

1. Money - If you want a raise, you need to prove why you deserve it. In order to prove this, you need to be able to talk about yourself and your accomplishments.

2. Opportunities - Your resume should include metrics of your performance, not just a list of tasks you do. It should demonstrate what you know how to do and how well you do it. Measuring your output helps demonstrate the value you add in what you do. If you can talk about this easily on a resume, you’ll have better luck landing that next job.

3. Respect - If done well, being confident in the work you put out will help your relationship with your team and others. People can’t respect your game if they have no idea what your role is on the team.

4. Relationships - When you’re actively and visibly contributing to the bigger picture, people appreciate you. Speaking up for yourself also improves your relationships at work, whether addressing less-than-ideal situations directly or creating more transparency. People operate better with parameters, and if people know where you stand, they’ll be less likely to walk over you or take advantage of you.

You’re responsible for your work, and it’s up to you to advocate for yourself and get seen. Here’s how you can start.

Write down the things you deliver on.

Extra work you do, the results of a project, anything good, write it down. How you did it, what it was for, what it accomplished. At the end of the year when you’re receiving a performance review and negotiating bonuses or salary, you’ll forget the things you did. It’s hard to remember your accomplishments from the past year, but if you get in the habit of writing things down every week, or pay period, or month, you’ll save yourself a lot of time later.

Start now and create a document or sheet on your work computer. Title it “Project Deliverables” or “2026 Accomplishments” or whatever you want, and start your list. Update it every Friday with what you did that week. Who you met. What you turned in. The feedback you received on it. Anything that demonstrates your efforts and the outcomes or people it helped. It’ll take 10 minutes of your time.

Look at the description for the job you have. Identify the key areas that are measurable, and start measuring them. This can look all sorts of ways, but the key is demonstrating with numbers and outcomes.

Many people forget when they’re in a job to measure their own work. This is your reminder right now to start recording your efforts. Measure it, write it down, and track your progress. Your work won’t speak for itself, it needs to mirror what you’re already communicating. It will help you in your current role and landing that future job. Your future self will thank you.

When you can look back at the things you’ve accomplished and can pull the data, advocating for yourself when the time comes will be easy.

Make allies in the workplace.

This one is critical. The people you work with, or around, can influence your career in many ways, for better or for worse. But the bottom line is this — you always want more people on your side. Your team. How do you do that?

Be a team player. Help out the people around you, in your department or not. Get to know people. Ask your coworkers how their child’s recital went. Be reliable to them. The more positive interactions you have with someone, the better they’ll feel about you. They speak highly of you, word gets around, and now you have allies.

This is how networking is done. It’s not just reaching out to strangers on LinkedIn and sending a message. Your first network is the people you already work with. Ask yourself, “Am I someone they would want to work with again? Are they someone I would want to work with again?” Fostering your work relationships pays off immediately, and in the future.

Gossip positively around the office. This is the best way to create allies. Someone did something great? Tell people! Word will spread that you’re saying nice things. When you lift people up, they’ll lift you up too (unless they’re a jerk, but you’ll figure that out pretty quickly).

You can be great at your job, but if no one likes working with you, then you’re not moving up anytime soon. When you have a network of advocates who can speak to the work you do (aka their interpretation of how you make them feel) then you can advocate for yourself while being backed up by people who believe in you.

Get things in writing.

This is for advocating for yourself if things turn sour. I was talking to a client this past year and she told me she was struggling with a coworker of hers. He would say she said things that she didn’t, try to make her look bad in front of others, and make her second guess herself. My advice to her: use writing to communicate. If he’s saying you said things you didn’t, now you have in writing what you said. He can’t make you look bad if he doesn’t have the paper trail, and you have the paper trail of what you did right.

If you work in a turbulent environment, get things in writing, especially in regard to something important, like instructions or expectations. Make sure there is a paper trail. This protects both parties, but especially yourself.

If you do communicate with a manager verbally for most communication, take notes and send them back to them for “alignment.” If you have a 1:1, write down what you discussed, the action items, and any expectations. Immediately after the meeting, send over the notes saying this is what you took away and allow them to add anything that was missed.

Hopefully, you don’t work in an environment where words are being turned against you in order for someone else to get ahead, but I think we’ve all been there. If you are, this can help hold them accountable. If they give you a poor review, revisit your notes and realign on the expectations that were communicated. People are less likely to do shady things if you make them justify themselves every time.

When you have things in writing, you have solid evidence to back yourself up. I wish there was always integrity in the workplace, but at the end of the day it is up to you how things end up. You can’t control what someone else will try to do, but you can control the impact on yourself. You can’t do this passively, you need to be proactive in advocating for yourself.

Learn your strengths and how to communicate them.

In this post by Luisa Surma, she poses the question, “what’s something you’re good at that most people aren’t?” If you can’t answer that question, you need to start reflecting — further in her post she has some exercises to do so, which I would highly recommend. She goes on to discuss how Leonardo Da Vinci went about applying for jobs. He didn’t have a list of tasks he’d performed in other jobs, he would get straight to the point about what he was good at.

“I know how to reroute rivers.” Clear, and to the point. Adds value. Demonstrates outcomes.

Same goes to when you’re talking about yourself. Learning how to speak to your strengths is critical to people seeing the value in you. Telling people what you’re good at isn’t egotistical. You’re at work — you’re letting people know how you can help them accomplish their goals. It’s your job. It’s why you’re being paid, and if you can’t tell someone what you’re there for, you either need to find a new job or find your words.

Identifying your strengths gives you the words to start speaking more confidently about yourself. It gives you clarity.

Don’t downplay your importance with your words.

Using words like “just” and “I think,” whether verbally or written, water down what you’re trying to say. If someone on your team is asking for your input, logically speaking, you don’t need to preface it with “I think.” Of course you’re thinking, that’s why they’re asking you.

This habit took a while for me to break, but I’ve found a way, and it’s through adding clarity. If I’m mostly confident in my answer but want to still make my confidence clear, I back up into my answer with the “why.”

For example: “I think We should go about the task this way because x, y, and z.”

Remove the “I think” by backing into the why. Why do you think that is the solution? Well, that’s what you have to explain to them. Backing your confident answer with your logic will sound a lot better than “I think… we could do this because I just…” No, stop that. If they asked you, it’s because they trust your judgement, so you should trust it too.

Learn your strengths, gain your clarity, and use your words to advocate for yourself.

Ask good questions.

One of the best ways to demonstrate understanding and action is to follow up with good questions. I use this trick all the time. It’s not just about the question though, it’s how you ask it.

For example, if I’m working on a deliverable that isn’t due for a few days, leading up to it I would ask the leaders involved follow-up questions on the tasks I’ve been working on. I would start the question by telling them what specifically I was tasked with and what point I had reached on the project. Then I would ask them a clarifying question of some sort. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy, and please especially don’t ask something you could figure out on your own. It can be simple. The important thing here is you are getting in front of leaders, demonstrating your work through the update, signaling your competence with the task at hand, and demonstrating your understanding by finding the gaps and asking questions. It’s not about the questions, it’s about facetime with people who matter, signaling what you can do.

It’s subtle, but it works.

“Hey, I wanted to check in about an aspect of this project. I was able to get X done and followed up with Y, but I wanted to see what your thoughts were on this. *insert idea/question/example.*”

When you ask good questions, it shows agency, problem solving, and accountability. These are all characteristics that advocate for you. Actions speak louder than words type of thing. Ask good questions.

Don’t rush.

This is one I’ve been learning recently and has made a huge impact on how I’m received, professionally and personally. Don’t be in a rush.

Think back to some of the best leaders you’ve known. The people who could command a room, think and speak with clarity, and identify goals. Did they seem frazzled? Were they disorganized? Were they anxious?

If they were a good leader, probably not. This is what I’ve been paying attention to.

People who exude confidence aren’t also the ones rushing themselves or the people around them. They’re steady, know their priorities, and lead by example.

This doesn’t mean they move about their work lackadaisically. It means they move with confidence and care. Rushed work is never done well, and if you’re feeling rushed, you probably don’t have your priorities straight.

I’m still working on this one myself, but here are two things I’ve learned that help me move with more assurance and less chaos:

Plan ahead. This one is basic, but important. I try to plan out my week ahead of time and ensure my schedule prioritizes what I need to get done. If I focus on the wrong things, I don’t spend enough time on the right things and end up feeling rushed.

When I plan out my week, I know what I need to do and when. I also try to leave some margin for things that might come up. That way, when someone asks for my help, I already understand my capacity and whether I can offer help or not (also great for making allies at work).

Set times of intention. It’s so easy for me to get caught up in my day, that by the end of the day I feel like my day happened to me, rather than me taking my day by the reigns. I don’t want my days to happen to me, I want to own the day and make things happen.

One way I do this is setting 2 minutes before each activity to practice being present and remind myself of the goal. I do this with everything now. If I have to coach practice, I take time before to remember why I coach, who I’m doing it for, and who I want to show up as. If I show up rushed and distant, I can’t expect my players to show up focused and dialed in.

If I’m having a 1:1 with my manager, I take 2 minutes. I think about what I want to talk about, what questions to ask, and how I want to get to know them better.

It works for everything.

End of the day, you want to be the calmest person in the room, and you can’t do that if you’re rushed. When you’re calm and have your priorities straight, you learn how to move with more confidence — a crucial part in advocating for yourself.

Becoming your own advocate may seem daunting at first, but it’s a positive feedback loop. Getting started is the hardest part and it only gets easier from there. You recognize your strengths and speak to them in a way that get’s them recognized by others → you get rewarded for your efforts → you gain confidence and continue developing your strengths → you get better at advocating for yourself → you get rewarded → and it keeps going.

You won’t get what you want unless you can you advocate for yourself.

Have other tips on how to be your own advocate?

Leave a comment

US Workforce Trends 💼

The situation is… relatively the same

As data has slowly been trickling in over the month, adding to some data gaps from November and December of 2025, things are looking consistent with what we’ve been experiencing for the past several months.

• The Federal Reserve decided to keep the interest rate at 3.75-4.00% due to inflation. They said in order to lower it, they would need to see the labor market getting more stagnant or inflation going down. One of these things seems much more likely than the other… and its not inflation going down.

• November jobless rates were up year over year in 259 of the 387 metro areas measured. So, roughly 67% of metro areas are experiencing a harder labor market than they were in November 2024, which was also a tough time.

• Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 50,000 jobs added in December. This closely aligned with the ADP Report’s job numbers as well.

• Something I found interesting was in November, US import prices (how much we pay for goods coming into the US) only rose .1% over 12 months. Export prices rose 3.3%. Everyone was expecting import prices to go up due to the tariffs, but that is not being seeing in the data.

Overall… not much to report on here.

Consumer confidence still going down, fear going up

Consumer confidence shot down in January to levels lower than any we experienced during the pandemic. Particularly, Americans short-term expectations for income, business conditions, and the job market tumbled to 65.1. This is the 12th consecutive month the reading has been under 80, which is the typical indicator for a recession ahead.

I wonder how much media has a role in this. We all know that “bad news sells,” and that the regular consumer is a pawn for different news agencies or sides of the aisle when they’re trying to sell a narrative. We’re now in this constant state of fear that something bad will happen (or is). While the short-term expectations could be an early recession indicator, I think it could also be a signal of the current state we’re all perpetually stuck in. I try to keep this in mind when I write on these subjects, as I don’t want to add to any fear but want to keep people informed.

Some of the fear is justifiable though. When the Feds are making constant changes to the data they report on, it’s hard to to trust their narrative. They try to tell us the job market isn’t that bad, meanwhile 2025 was the weakest year for job gains (outside of the 2008 recession) since 2003. Even the people who were optimistic are slipping. According to the same survey, 27.5% of surveyors in December thought jobs were “plentiful,” but that number dropped to 23.9% for January. That’s a steep decline.

BLS posts industry and occupational employment projections

The BLS posted their industry and occupational employment projections for 2024-2034. They are projecting total employment to grow 3.1% between 2024-2034, adding about 5.2M new jobs. Industries they’re predicting to grow the most are healthcare and social assistance (8.4%)(with nurse practitioners growing the fastest), professional, scientific, and technical services (7.5%), information (6.5%), and art, entertainment, and recreation (5.1%)(interesting!).

They also projected the number of self-employed workers to increase by 2.2%. I thought this was interesting, but I also agree with it. We’ve been seeing many companies cutting overhead/staffing and moving toward contracting out for services. As we move away from being able to rely on employers for security, I’m not surprised to see a push toward self-employment (for better or for worse).

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Global Scope 🌍

The Chinese government is starting to show concerns over their labor market. During the lunar new year (mid-February), many folks who travel to larger cities for work return back to their home towns in more rural regions. This year, the Chinese government is worried these travelers won’t return back to the cities for work.

China has been experiencing a turbulent property market, reducing many construction jobs in larger and medium-sized cities. Building sites and factories aren’t producing as many jobs as they used to. Local economies are not well setup to absorb an influx of these jobseekers though, which would make jobs more competitive and push down wages. China’s rural affairs ministry declared that the government must prevent migrants from sticking around in their home villages after the holiday season.

Work Wins, Woes, & Whoas

Work Wins 🏆

Aldi, the grocery store chain, is leading the way for employee salary and satisfaction while still keeping prices low for customers. In a research study performed by Revelio Labs, they looked into Aldi’s success.

Aldi runs a tight ship, with only having about 5 employees per store in the US. Most other comparable grocery chains have around 30 employees per store. Their model depends on productivity. They incentivize their workers to be efficient, with performance metrics tracking check-out and delivery unloading speeds. While this may sound stressful, they also compensate them for their efforts, outranking competitors and just trailing Costco for average salary ~ $48,7k. They also report high satisfaction among their workforce, and locate many stores in suburban areas close to where their workers are for shorter commute times. Maybe other grocers could take some notes from their success. While they don’t produce the most jobs, they do create jobs of higher value.

Work Woes 📉

2025 college graduates are having a tough time finding jobs that align with their field of study. In 2022, about 26% of graduates reported finding a job in their field of study, but that number dropped to 20% in 2025. This is in alignment with trends for finding jobs as well. In 2022, about 42% of graduates reporting finding a job in the same year, but that number dropped to about 36% for 2025. We’ve talked before about the over-saturation of degree holders in the job market compared to the number of open jobs requiring a degree, but now we’re also seeing the misalignment with the types of degrees people are getting and what jobs are available.

Work Whoas 🚨

Business Insider reports that “the white-collar workplace has gotten a lot less cuddly in the past few years.” With the labor market slowing, attracting and retaining employees is not a key challenge for businesses (wow, shocker). This is what we call an “employers’ economy.“ Minimal job prospects = higher competition for remaining jobs. When competition is high, employers can (and do) lower the bar for what they offer to employees in return. We’re all experiencing uncertainty, and employers are capitalizing on this by reducing their overhead, offering less, and giving their shareholders more.

🔦Career Spotlight🔦

Welder

This role is expected to see steady demand through the next decade as infrastructure projects, manufacturing, construction, and energy sectors continue to grow. While some white-collar industries have experienced layoffs, skilled trades like welding have remained in high demand in 2025 due to labor shortages and ongoing investments in infrastructure and industrial projects. Hubs for welding jobs include TX, CA, OH, PA, and states along the Gulf Coast, where manufacturing plants, shipyards, and energy facilities are concentrated. Pay for welders typically ranges between $16/hr as an apprentice to upwards of $35/hr for more experienced workers.

Becoming a Welder: Most welding roles require a high school diploma or GED, along with completion of a technical school, trade program, or apprenticeship. Employers often look for industry certifications (such as an AWS certification) and hands-on experience with welding techniques like MIG, TIG, and stick welding. The role requires strong attention to detail, physical stamina, and a focus on safety. Starting in entry-level or apprentice positions allows welders to build skills and experience, leading to higher-paying roles in specialized fields such as pipeline, underwater, or industrial welding over time.

Who’s Hiring 🔍

Hiring in 2026 has been off to a slower start than usual, with many big corporations like Amazon and UPS even performing massive layoffs.

• Government (mainly local and city level) - You can find government jobs at… governmentjobs.com or check with your local school districts.

• Hospitals and Healthcare systems (as usual) - You can find healthcare jobs HERE.

• Technology and cybersecurity - While many firms are also performing layoffs, there is still a trend in tech jobs being more available. Check out some tech jobs HERE or HERE.

I wish I had more employers that are hiring to report on… :(

2026 BINGO Update

We get to cross off two boxes on our 2026 BINGO card:

• Amazon performs another mass layoff (5,000+ workers) - Amazon just announced the slash of 16,000 jobs, bringing their recent layoffs to about 9% of their corporate workforce. That one didn’t take long…

• Federal workforce development support package for community colleges/ vocational programs - The Department of Labor announced on January 6 the availability of $145M in funding to support performance-based registered apprenticeship (apprenticeships are a type of vocational program, so I’m counting this one) expansion across the US.

In case you missed it ⬇️

I don’t think everyone is cut out to be their own boss.

It’s been over a year since I’ve had a regular job with an employer. My last place of employment was a temp position with government working in the economic development department as a career coach for city residents looking for jobs. I thoroughly enjoyed the work, but due to circumstances that came up with my spouse’s job, coupled with knowing my position was ending soon, I left that position and started New Ropes.

Part of what inspired New Ropes was the expanse of different jobs and bosses I’ve had, as well as my experience helping people find work. I was good at it and wanted to continue helping people as best I could. I’ve gone about this through writing, working with individuals on navigating the job landscape, and consulting for a small business with workforce development initiatives.

I thought I could make it work. I thought if my writing took off and if I got more clients then I could provide a supplemental income while we lived off of my husband’s income in the meantime.

I knew it would be hard, but I didn’t anticipate the challenges I would face. Now, my “meantime” has dried up and I’m returning to the workforce.

The dream we’re sold.

Online, we’re constantly inundated with success stories of entrepreneurs who make it big. Everyone talks about how they took the risk and gave their dreams a chance. Giving it their all, struggling through the challenges, and coming out on the other side.

You set up a system for success, track your habits, make your pitches, put in the hours, and find success.

Be your own boss!

This sounded great to me! I was tired of working for others and wanted to try it out. I thought anyone could be an entrepreneur. Now I know I was wrong.

How to make it big.

Honestly, I can’t tell you how to make it in your own business venture. What I can tell you is what I encountered and why it didn’t work for me.

1. I struggled charging people for my services.

My heart is to help people, which is much easier when someone else is paying you. When approached by people for help, I was constantly giving out free advice. How was I supposed to ask someone for money when their unemployment was about to run out? I had a few clients who I charged, mainly those with jobs looking for a new one, but over all I found this challenging. I didn’t even want to turn on paid subscription and limit the resources I could offer someone.

2. I hate pitching myself.

Some people thrive in sales. I am not one of them. I was always worried about talking myself up, over promising what I could offer, and knowing how to measure my value. At the end of the day, I can’t guarantee anyone a job, because I can’t control other people. I can help you with your resume, offer ideas on how to approach the job search, show you where to look, explain what different industries look like, what the trends are, and everything in between. But I can’t hold an employer at gun point and tell them to hire my clients. It doesn’t work like that. Luckily.

Even though my first post was on how to not sell yourself short, I found myself… selling myself short. Something a friend of mine pointed out recently. Quite a humbling experience. And she was right, I was selling myself short and couldn’t find a way to overcome my own inhibitions.

The question I dreaded most was, “so what are you doing now?” I couldn’t hide behind any of the fancy titles I’d proudly held in the past, so I would stumble through my half-assed pitch on how I’m doing my own thing now, writing about workforce developments on a platform called Substack (“What’s that?”), while the listener would nod and maybe ask a few questions until I changed the subject. I got so tired. I felt ashamed for “not working” (not making money) while my husband worked 60-80 hour weeks to support us while growing in his career.

3. I couldn’t in good conscience pay for exposure.

In order to get your writing out there, you need to pay for exposure. Of course, some people go viral and attract all sorts of business, but I don’t think that’s most people’s experience. What most people have to end up doing to get attention is pay for help. You hire someone with connections, work with a coach, pay a publisher, etc. You have to spend money to make money.

I was approached by a firm that publishes work for writers, but at a cost. Instead of being paid for writing, you work with them on a piece, and if they can get it published, then you have to pay. I was quoted $5,000 to get something published. Ouch. They try to sell you on the chance that it’ll drive more people to your work. How promising.

Now, as a writer trying to get recognized but not yet paid for my written work, I’m not sure how they expect us to pay that kind of sum. I’m no trust fund kid. My husband has been so supportive of my endeavors and I was not about to spend his hard earned money on the chance I might gain traction. Nor do we have that kind of liquid cash to front anyway. Without another stream of income, I was stuck.

4. I’m not good at being my own boss.

When starting your own venture, in my case writing and career coaching, there are dozens of different factors to consider. The possibility of directions to go are endless, and the different tasks to get there even more so. I would sit at home trying to prioritize what to do for the day and would feel a wave of anxiety wash over me. I needed to write my rough draft, engage in notes, work on a resume, research, look up platforms to submit my writing, think about a rebrand, ask friends to engage in my work, etc etc. Meanwhile, feeling the guilt of not doing enough. I never felt like I was doing enough.

That kind of pressure weighs on the nervous system in a way I’d never experienced from a toxic boss. And I’ve had plenty.

I couldn’t prioritize well, and when faced with so many options of what I could and/or should do, I found myself lost and frozen, not doing any of them. Even with all the meantime in the world.

5. I was lonely.

Sitting at home everyday swimming in my own thoughts made me incredibly lonely. I thrive on discussion, feedback, and input, none of which I was getting consistently (to no ones fault but my own). I have a community I value, but I couldn’t build the online community people talk about. When I started this endeavor, I started alone, and that never changed. People in my life encourage and challenge me, but those sentiments feel distant when I’m alone at the computer.

Different kinds of pressure.

I think there’s a difference between having to be successful and trying to be successful. There’s a certain kind of drive and motivation when there are no other options. I had the comfortability of a supportive partner, good roots, an education, work experience, and frankly, too many fall backs. I never felt the deep rooted desperation that drives excellence.

I’m not complaining. I’m extremely grateful for everything I have and am thankful I haven’t been in a place where I worried about where I would live or what I would do next. I recognize my privilege. But privilege is also a blinder and it hides from us those deep reserves inside us that people have to tap into when everything is on the line. I didn’t have everything on the line.

What did I have on the line? My pride.

I think the entrepreneurs who make it have incredible drive, vision, and humility.

I had too many options.

What’s next

Well… I took one of those options.

I don’t think I’m compromising on my “dreams.” I’m multi-passionate. I have lots of dreams. I love writing and helping others, and I understand this can manifest in all sorts of ways.

I may be a bit prideful and aloof at times, but I’m not ignorant. Sometimes, an offer comes along that is too good to turn down.

I got approached by a friend from grad school who was hiring a new role for his team. The company does contract work for government in the form of consulting and engineering services. So, back to consulting I go — a place I thought I’d never return. But life has a funny way of proving us wrong.

I’ve been jaded from my consulting experience in the past, and I thought leaving would help me overcome it. But you don’t overcome fear by avoiding the thing you’re scared of. The only way is through. I was scared to put myself out there and write, so I did it. This doesn’t scare me anymore. Rejoining the workforce scares me.

I don’t know all of what this opportunity holds for me, but I do know it’s my next best step. A sort of exposure therapy. I don’t want to stay jaded. I can’t stay jaded.

I have new tools under my belt and high hopes. For one, I know who my boss will be, and he’s great. I’m honored to be a part of his team — to learn from him and others in the company (and receive input and feedback!). Two, the company is admirable. Three, in this economy, I’d be a fool to turn down a consistent income.

If there’s one thing I know about, it’s our current workforce economy. Times are tough. Jobs openings are low, competition is high, and landing a job feels akin to winning the lottery. I’m not above these things — I live here too.

So here I am, after a year of being my own boss, recognizing that things didn’t work how I thought they would. Some people are cut out for the entrepreneurial life. I don’t think I’m one of them, at least not yet. But, there is always more to learn, and I’m learning how to lay down my pride, accept a bit of defeat, and face new fears.

Don’t worry, I’m not closing down New Ropes. Evidently, I don’t do this for the money anyway. I still trust my vision, I already planned out my year, and I want to continue helping people as best I can through my writing. And honestly, the more on my plate the better. I need that good kind of pressure.

In rejoining the workforce, I’ll be able to gain new inspiration, insights, and guidance. I’m excited for what’s next. I may have lost a couple of battles this past year, but I’m not admitting defeat.

Everything is experience, nothing is wasted. It’s about framing. There are countless lessons that I could’ve only learned by going through these self-made challenges. Now, it’s time to learn some new ropes and tap into those deep reserves.

So, the best is yet to come.

Humbly,

Grace

As the year gets rolling, I think it’s obvious that the current economy, job market, and workforce are changing rapidly. Everywhere you turn, there’s news about mass layoffs, AI adoption, inflation, a shrinking middle-class, and anything else that will grab your attention and manifest fear. While most headlines are exaggerations, underneath the surface I’m starting to notice some trends that I want to highlight.

I have some predictions for what I think we may experience this year in the world of work — some good, some bad, some ugly.

To formalize these predictions, I have made a BINGO card for 2026’s workforce and job trends. I will track these throughout the year to see which predictions come true, for better or for worse, and update them in my Monthly Workforce Roundups.

I want to make this clear — I don’t want negative things to happen. Some people love to focus on the negative, thriving on chaos, wanting everything to lead to dooms day.

I do believe things will get worse before they get better. How much worse? It’s hard to tell and even harder to predict, as forecasts simply measure past trends and paste them on the future. With the pace things are changing at, I don’t think what we are going to experience will be forecastable from past trends — this feels like unchartered territory and therefore requires a bit more assumption mixed with critical thinking.

Let’s get into it.

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What’s on my BINGO card:

Federal Reserve cuts interest rates to 3.25-3.50% — This one is obvious. Inflation hasn’t cooled, but people are worried about jobs. A new Federal Reserve Chair will be appointed, likely someone who Trump will have more control over, and they will feel pressure to cut rates again.

Amazon performs another mass layoff (5,000+ workers) — Now that the holiday season is over, and with further adoption of AI, I see Amazon laying off more workers.

Small businesses lose 200k jobs in first quarter (Jan-March) — Small businesses have already been losing jobs at a rapid rate in the second half of 2025. Small businesses can often be a signal to the overall health of the economy. Small businesses are hurting and will continue to crack under the pressure of increasing costs.

Unemployment reaches 5% in first half of year — As of December 2025, unemployment has reached 4.7%, trending upward. This could easily climb to 5% by July.

BLS updates 2025 job numbers to be 1 million less than reported — We saw this happen for 2024, and the BLS has already started correcting reports for how many jobs were added in 2025. As data gets refined, I’m fairly certain the BLS will catch up with what we’ve all been experiencing.

Healthcare adds 100k new jobs — Healthcare continues to lead job growth, and with Baby Boomers leaving the workforce and entering retirement, demand for healthcare workers will continue to grow.

Natural Resources adds 20k new jobs — *I wrote this down before we kidnapped the Venezuelan president, but I think we will experience growth in the oil/gas industry.

CEO scandal at major company — Every year there is always some sort of dramatic scandal involving CEOs (2024 - United Health CEO gets murdered, 2025 - Coldplay concert), so I don’t see why we won’t read some major headline about a new scandal among the elite.

Wage growth slows to 2% — I’m hesitant about this one, as many companies are performing layoffs and increasing the wages of remaining employees, but I think desperation for work, job-hugging, and corporate greed will slow wage growth.

Federal workforce development support package for community colleges/ vocational programs — This is one I’m hoping for. We’ve seen the current administration waging war against the university system, so I foresee further efforts going toward propping up vocational training and community college programs.

Hospitality/Leisure adds less than 100k (net) new jobs — We saw the industry shrinking its workforce in 2025 due to decreased consumer spending and AI integration, so I think this trend will continue even more dramatically in 2026 as American wallets get squeezed.

Feds make big push to support small businesses — Once the struggle of small businesses is acknowledged by the administration, they will try to reverse the damage.

Construction trade adds 50k (net) new jobs — Construction did experience slowing in 2025, but with the push to increase infrastructure and housing, construction will begin to add jobs again.

Large concern over middle-management roles disappearing — We’ve already seen growing concern over management roles disappearing, but this is just the beginning.

Major tech company receives government bailout — Investments keep pouring into large tech companies developing AI, outpacing demand for the technology itself. They don’t mind though, because they know they’ll get bailed out.

Energy costs (measured by CPI) grow by (at least) 5% — Energy companies are subsidizing many data centers to attract businesses, passing on costs to consumers.

Economy crashes — Bold, but I couldn’t not include it…

Manufacturing jobs start trending upwards again after bottoming — The full effects of tariffs are yet to be felt, but I think once things plateau, we’ll experience an uptick in job creation again in manufacturing.

Renewable Energy adds 50k (net) new jobs — Renewable energy has been one of the few industries with stable job growth.

Economy adds 100k jobs in January — In January, we always see an uptick in job postings, as many companies hold off on hiring until the new year begins.

2026 college grads experience higher unemployment than seen in past — I’ve written previously about the loss of entry-level jobs and the over-saturation of college degrees in the workforce. University enrollment has not slowed, but entry-level job creation has, so I foresee this being an even larger issue for the graduating class of 2026.

Unemployment reaches 10 million — As the unemployment rate continues to rise, we will easily breach 10 million people on unemployment benefits.

Major news article about “disappearing middle class” — I’ve read many articles about how the middle class is disappearing, getting richer, growing, and everything in between. There are many different factors to consider when measuring the middle class, but headlines still love to bring the dramatics.

Large department store shuts down — With so many companies being bought by private equity and then bankrupted, along with consumers continuing to monitor their spending habits, it won’t be long until we see another staple department store go under.

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Conclusion

Of course, these are just my assumptions. This year will be interesting I’m sure, but I’m always hoping for the best and will continue to write about what’s going on in the world of work honestly and critically.

I hope the beginning of 2026 has been treating you kindly and that you find even more success this year.

Cheers,

Grace

US Workforce Trends 💼

Job numbers? Yeah, they’re still being revised down.

Since the government shutdown, data continues to be spotty. Spotty enough for economists to call it “swiss-cheese” data.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the employment data for November, claiming 64,000 jobs were added to the economy (46,000 just in healthcare), and the unemployment rate rose to 4.6%, the highest its been since September 2021. They also caught up on October’s numbers, which show the economy lost 105,000 jobs. ALSO, they revised the August and September numbers to show about 30k less jobs than initially reported, mainly in manufacturing and hospitality.

Manufacturing has taken a hit likely due to tariffs, but a drop in leisure and hospitality demonstrates Americans tightening their wallets as price increases get passed on to consumers. Economists are saying this years holiday season had “record-breaking” sales. Much of this was driven by wealthy consumers, with higher sales for luxury brands. Shopping trends are demonstrating a “K” shaped economy, with poorer consumers spending less, while wealthier consumers continuing to spend. The top 10% of earners are responsible for nearly half of consumer spending.

According to the ADP report, the economy lost 32,000 private sector jobs in November, specifically in manufacturing, professional and business services, information, and construction. The slowdown in November was led by small businesses. The impacts on small businesses, or “main street businesses,” are often early indicators of the macroeconomy, as they have less flexibility and resiliency to withstand turbulence. Between August-October, small businesses shed roughly 34,000 job per month on average. This is not good.

Revelio Labs (which reports on private and public jobs) reported 9,000 jobs lost in November, with active job postings declining by 1.9% month-over-month. Education and Healthcare were the only sectors to add significant jobs. Entry-level roles highly exposed to AI (meaning the tasks can likely be automated) have declined by over 40% since January 2023, demonstrating early impacts of AI adoption.

The discrepancies between the different data sets can be confusing, but something worth noting is that in a strong economy, we’re typically adding over 100k jobs per month, so even a slow down in job creation is cause for concern. With the government shutdown and missing data, I’m relying more on private sector data to paint the picture, and it’s looking like we are losing jobs rapidly.

In the past six months, only 100,000 net jobs have been added, and that’s according to the swiss-cheese BLS data. Jerome Powell, the head of the Federal Reserve, said it is more likely we’ve been losing around 20k jobs per month on average, but we won’t know official numbers until sometime next year. Considering they revised the 2024 job numbers to report 900k less jobs than initially reported, this seems pretty likely.

Overall, the economy added 191k jobs in 2025, minus December, compared to 2024, where over 1 million jobs were added in the same time.

The Fed’s chose to lower the federal interest rate to 3.5-375% to address labor market issues, but they don’t anticipate lowering the rate for another few months as they use a wait-and-see approach for more accurate data to come out. Christopher Waller, a candidate for the next Fed Chair — which will be determined sometime soonish hopefully — shared sentiments about how everyone is afraid for their jobs in 2026. Couldn’t agree more, Waller.

Global Scope 🌍

Globally, joblessness remains relatively low, but youth unemployment is rising. Before the pandemic, youth labor force participation (ages 15-24) peaked at around 17%, but has been dropping continuously since then, now hovering around 13%. Across Asia, youth unemployment rates are 2-3x higher than the average. Youth-led protests have swept across Kenya, Madagascar, and Morocco in concern for limited opportunities and the rising cost of living. In 2024, 1.2 million graduates in the UK were competing for 17,000 entry-level positions. In Europe, job instability is a larger issue for youth, with employers opting for short-term contracts and wage stagnation.

While AI integration is a contributing factor — even with Gen Z workers showing eager AI adoption — other concerns include a cooling global economy, corporate caution, and hiring freezes. Entry-level openings are down 29% year-over-year. With a shift toward skills-based hiring, many Gen Z workers are now pursuing blue-collar work and other vocational training programs over traditional university routes.

Work Wins, Woes, & Whoas

Work Wins 🏆

One area of the US which has seen better job stability than the rest of the nation is the Pacific region — especially California. This year, the state launched its “Jobs First Council” to bring together state agencies to coordinate economic development, workforce, education, and infrastructure investments in a shared strategy. Their efforts are targeting high-growth industries such as construction, healthcare, education, advanced manufacturing, clean energy, and defense. A main focus of theirs is expanding apprenticeship opportunities by connecting education, workforce training, and employers through employer-driven training programs. They’re also expanding services to rural regions as well.

Work Woes 📉

The Education Department has announced that they will resume garnishing the pay (taking money directly from paychecks through employer payroll, but they can also withhold tax returns) of borrowers who have defaulted on their student loans, starting in January. Over 3 million federal student-loan borrowers haven’t made a payment in 30-270 days. Once 270 days have passed, a borrower is considered defaulted, which is when wage garnishment can start. Up to 15% of wages can be deducted from a borrowers’ paycheck.

Under federal law, you must be sent a formal notice 30 days prior to garnishment to be given an opportunity to object or respond. They don’t need to make much effort to track you down though, they will simply send it to the last address the Dept. of Ed. had on file for you. If you are worried about your wages being garnished, this article outlines steps you can take to get back on track.

Work Whoas 🚨

In order to avoid the “Sunday Scaries,” some workers are turning them into “Sunday Lock-ins.” This might sound like more hustle culture, but they may have a trick or two when it comes to work-life balance.

Interviewees of Business Insider said that by organizing their week and getting a head start on Sunday, they’re able to free up more of their time during the work week. Knowing what to expect allows them to take more breaks and make plans. Work can also be done more quickly without the interruption of meetings. Working through the weekend has picked up in popularity since the pandemic, when everyone got accustomed to bringing work home with them. Now, people are choosing how they create boundaries and are opting for soft-boundaries and a more fluid balance. By integrating work in ways they control, they’re able to have more balance throughout the week and not just on the weekend.

🔦Career Spotlight🔦

CDL Truck Driver

CDL truck driving roles are expected to grow steadily through the next decade as demand for freight transportation remains strong. While some industries have faced slowdowns and layoffs, trucking and logistics have continued hiring in 2025 due to e-commerce growth and supply chain needs. High-demand areas for CDL drivers include CA, TX, FL, and the Midwest, where major distribution hubs are located. Pay for drivers typically ranges between $57,000-$77,000, with many experienced drivers earning in the six digits.

Becoming a CDL Truck Driver: Most CDL truck driving roles require a valid Commercial Driver’s License (Class A or B, depending on the job), a clean driving record, and completion of a certified truck driving training program. Drivers must meet DOT medical requirements and demonstrate strong safety awareness, time management skills, and reliability. Gaining experience through entry-level or regional driving positions can help drivers qualify for higher-paying long-haul, specialized, or owner-operator roles as they progress in their careers.

Who’s Hiring 🔍

• Healthcare - As seen in the data, healthcare continues to lead in hiring and will continue to do so in 2026.

• Education - Also seen in the data, education at every level is still hiring. This doesn’t just mean teaching roles — roles are opening up in support and administrative positions as well.

• Natural Resources - Everything from mining and natural gas to renewable energy, especially for engineering roles.

• Construction - While jobs in construction in 2025 did experience tightening (layoffs), construction is expected to grow in 2026 to accommodate data centers and other infrastructure improvements.

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In case you missed it ⬇️

On December 5th, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek announced the new “Prosperity Roadmap” - essentially, a plan for economic development and job creation - my fav!

Before I started New Ropes, I was a program analyst for a local city’s economic development department. As someone who has studied and performed this work and been impacted by these types of policy decisions, I wanted to give my initial thoughts on the roadmap and where I see things headed.

The Prosperity Plan Roadmap

I went straight to the source to see what this plan is. The roadmap offers background information, the State’s strategic goals, and next steps the administration is taking to help Oregon ✨prosper✨.

Background

Oregon is struggling with the same problems as many other states right now, such as sluggish job growth, elevated unemployment, and declining population trends (that one is more Oregon-specific). These issues are compounded by business outmigration (businesses leaving the state, like Dutch Bros HQ and some others in recent years).

Economic and revenue forecasts provide three key areas to focus the work in: hiring, unemployment, and population. They also site studies from the University of Oregon and ECONorthwest provided to them which helped inform the roadmap, which I’ll get into in next sections.

Strategic Goals

The roadmap identifies three strategic goals for the state:

1) Accelerate Oregon’s Economic Growth: To target Oregon’s declining GDP, they want to increase the GDP growth rate from 1.7% to 2.2%. This would increase the general fund by $3 billion + through the 2029-2031 biennium (Oregon’s fiscal cycle).

To increase GDP, they’ll need more businesses to grow in Oregon and a growing population to generate more income tax. Considering this, it makes sense that this goal is set for 2029-2031, but it seems ambitious. Additionally, this first strategic goal seems more like an indicator of effectiveness for new economic development activities rather than focusing on what to actually fix. Cart before the horse, or however it goes…

2) More living wage jobs, now: They want to focus investments in “high-opportunity sectors”(aka manufacturing and tech mostly), expand workforce development programs, strengthen regional economic ecosystems, and leverage public-private partnerships. They propose a two-pronged approach that would increase partnerships with post-secondary education institutions (college/university/cert programs), local businesses, and the State to create new training and cert programs tailored to emerging industries so that employers could then launch hiring processes for newly created positions. Oregon was ranked #23 by the CNBC Workforce Ranking for 2025. Their goal is to place Oregon in the top 10.

These are well-known economic development tactics that are critical to improving economic conditions. Partnering with the private-sector to streamline hiring pipelines directly from educational institutions is key to developing and keeping a talented workforce in Oregon. From my personal research and experience working in the industry, something that often gets overlooked is ensuring employers also offer on-the-job training and hire for entry-level positions. Conversations around having an educated workforce while also offering hands-on experience will be important to have.

3) Retain and grow Oregon businesses: They plan to expand access to capital (create funds businesses can apply for), technical assistance (consulting services for navigating the ecosystem and accelerated permitting), and critical infrastructure. Their goal is to move from being ranked #39 by CNBC Top States for Business to top 10.

Of course, a focus needs to be on retaining and growing businesses in Oregon, and providing additional access to capital could help with this, but in order to do so they’ll need to build up those funds first, some how. This goal doesn’t address any incentives for businesses to do business in Oregon. It does help make doing business in Oregon easier, but many of the larger employers don’t need help, they want incentives to do business here (tax breaks, usually).

Next Steps

The roadmap outlines six next steps they’re taking to achieve these goals:

1) Recruit additional leadership and expertise to drive roadmap: Gov. Kotek established a Chief Prosperity Officer to expand and lead the strategic goals, and she’s establishing a Prosperity Council for additional guidance.

I think these are smart moves, as there has historically been no consolidated efforts in this field led at the state-level. Establishing a CPO and council signals Oregon’s efforts to prioritize economic development.

2) Establish new FastTrack Program: Introduce legislation in 2026 to remove “barriers to growth” and incentivize investment. Establish FastTrack program to support large projects with potential to create jobs/grow GDP, modeled after the Fed’s “FAST 41.”

The Federal Program “FAST 41” was created to speed up federal environmental reviews for infrastructure projects by improving coordination, transparency, and issue resolution. Streamlining our own infrastructure could help move things along and create more capacity to bring in businesses, but I wonder how they want to go about doing this.

3) Reduce Barriers to investment and growth: Streamline permitting services for businesses, expedite critical infrastructure (similar to step 2), and support local efforts to utilize unique regional resources, talent pools, and market opportunities.

Making business operations smoother is always good. Cumbersome administration is definitely a barrier to investment, but it’s not the only barrier businesses face.

4) Modernize and strengthen economic development tools: Update enterprise zones and strategic investment programs to make them more flexible, functional, and transparent. Business Oregon (the state’s economic development agency) will complete a state economic development strategy to address key topic areas: Capital Access and Entrepreneurship, Business Retention and Expansion, Business Recruitment, Workforce Development, Sector Alignment, Infrastructure, and Incentive Modernization.

Enterprise zones allow tax breaks for specific types of businesses and industries in particular areas that government wants to see developed. They often come with strings attached and difficult criteria to meet. Modernizing these tools would increase access for many smaller businesses especially.

5) Explore targeted tax changes to spur living wage job creation and increase GDP: The appointed council will develop recommendations to consider in 2027 legislative session aligned with strategic goals.

A major roadblock for businesses doing business here is the high taxes. Unless these are addressed, businesses will continue looking to states with lower taxes.

6) Partner with businesses and communities for results: Create a Global Trade Desk to expand opportunities for global commerce and promote Oregon as premier destination for foreign investment. Enhance business outreach with major employers to gather feedback and stay ahead of challenges.

Focusing on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is a strategic move. It is difficult to attract business from other states, but Oregon could show more favorable conditions for international firms looking to expand in the US.

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Now that we understand the roadmap, let’s get into why Oregon is focusing on economic development.

Oregon’s Problems

Oregon was ranked 39th on CNBC’s list for Top States for Business. They measure each state on 135 different metrics across 10 categories for competitiveness. Below is a picture of Oregon’s ranking across the 10 categories.

What I want to highlight here are infrastructure, cost of doing business, and business friendliness.

Under Steps 2 and 3 of the roadmap, they focus on building out infrastructure. It’s not a bad priority, but seeing our ranking at 14th, it doesn’t appear this is our biggest challenge for businesses. Increased infrastructure will allow for more growth, but in order to properly address problems, we need to critically look at what is causing them.

The two larger concerns for me are cost of doing business and business friendliness. Business friendliness is addressed quite a bit in the roadmap. It discusses strengthening regional hubs for economic development, performing more business outreach, streamlining permitting services, etc. - all tools that would target business friendliness.

What is really interesting is how Oregon went from 34th in 2024 to 43rd in 2025 for cost of doing business. What changed from 2024 to 2025 to drop us down 9 rankings? Well! Let’s start with 2019.

In 2019, Oregon was ranked 8th by the think tank Tax Foundation’s Tax Competitiveness Index. Since then, we have fallen to a ranking of 35th, due mainly to legislation that introduced the corporate activity tax (“CAT tax” we call it), beginning January 2020, to fund public schools. This tax, which many business owners groan about, compounds a tax pyramid where goods are taxed multiple times through the products lifecycle. It applies to individuals or businesses with more than $1 million in business receipts - gross income, not profit. This means businesses could owe taxes even if the receipts were unprofitable. That doesn’t really scream, “Come do business here!” now does it?

If money could fix everything, then this tax that is driving away businesses should have helped our school systems, but for 2025, WalletHub ranked Oregon 47th in the nation for education. Unfortunately, money does not fix everything — it needs to be coupled with intentional administrative reform.

UO Study

In a study performed by the University of Oregon for Business Oregon, they surveyed 393 traded-sector businesses and performed over 30 interviews with businesses and economic development organizations. They then put together the anchor factors (why businesses stay), push factors (whats pushing businesses away), and pull factors (whats pulling businesses away). I’ll include their graphic below:

You can see they also cite Oregon’s tax policies as a push factor for the state and tax benefits as pull factors for other states.

Their survey data showed that Oregon lost thousands of potential jobs and billions of potential private investments in the past five years and are poised to lose even more over the next five unless changes are made. Many businesses surveyed cited tax and regulatory burdens as to why they were leaving Oregon, as well as challenges attracting talent and unfavorable business climate. This has been especially true for manufacturing and tech firms.

They stated that Business Oregon’s tools for economic development activities are limited and in need of revamping. The effectiveness of their tools are limited by restrictive eligibility (no one qualifies for the programs), insufficient funding, slow implementation, and lack of awareness.

They provided four recommendations for Business Oregon:

1) Make business retention and expansion a priority: more competitive tax incentives, grants, and workforce development initiatives; improve communication and outreach with businesses proactively.

2) Work to improve Oregon’s business climate: address elements like high cost of living, regulatory challenges, and social issues; tax reforms and streamlined regulation; focus on infrastructure, education, and public safety.

3) Offer more cohesive leadership: embrace and prioritize economic development; link and align the 865 ec. dev. entities to coordinate efforts; take the long view on ec. dev.

4) Create more flexibility in use of Business Oregon programs: clear up the limitations for businesses to access support and resources; consider new or expanded incentives like awards based on performance; consolidate programs to focus on key strategies and measurability for effectiveness.

2025 Value of Jobs - State of the Economy by ECONorthwest

This report by ECONorthwest analyzes economic metrics for Oregon and specifically the Portland Metro Area. It discusses how Oregon is ranked 80th out of 81 in national real estate attractiveness. Jobs in the information sector dropped by 4.9% in 2024 and financial activities sectors declined 3.7%.

Clark county, across the river in Washington, and Clackamas county in the metro area are attracting higher-income residents, which started up-ticking in 2018, while Multnomah and Washington counties saw higher-income people leaving or staying (not moving in), with lower-income people moving in.

The report recommends the region to look into implementing policies and programs that bring costs down for business and residents and to look into policies that attract people to move in. A path for growth must be based on intentional growth strategies to attract talent and jobs that will help create a more stable revenue base.

Thoughts from an economic development girlie

As a born-and-raised Oregonian with a passion for economic development, I’m encouraged to see the steps Oregon is taking to create more jobs and better opportunities for Oregonians. Working hands-on in the industry has provided me insight into how these things will come to fruition, so here is where my mind is at:

1. Making Economic Development a state-wide priority

I am absolutely stoked Oregon is making moves to focus on economic development activities. Both ECONw’s and UO’s studies point toward a need to align ec. dev. agencies across the state and streamline efforts. It has always been obvious to me that in order to have a functional, well-running community, you need good jobs for people. Good jobs means needing businesses also interested in building the community.

I’ve been passionate about these efforts because I like taking a “teach a man to fish” approach to helping people (maybe its the coach in me?). Oregon has focused on implementing safety nets for its people while neglecting efforts to sustain those safety nets through increased business, workforce investments, and JOBS (leading to increased revenue). Welfare systems can’t support themselves without revenue, which is where Oregon is finding itself now. We need jobs. People want to work, but they can’t do that if there are no jobs. To create jobs, we need more business. And businesses need incentives, otherwise they’ll relocate to friendlier climates and take their jobs with them.

2. Coordinated and aligned Economic Development efforts across the state

When I worked in ec. dev., many of the recommendations talked about in these studies we were doing at the city level. We were outreaching to big employers, connecting with the university system to talk about certification programs and education-employer pipelines for talent, freeing up capital to assist local businesses to expand in the city, etc. Some of the challenges we faced were with business engagement and support from the larger ec. dev. ecosystem.

It was a department of three — now two, since my position was temp — and I felt a problem we faced was lack of leverage. Many businesses seemed uninterested in connecting with local government. We only had so much to offer for incentives, and our small department struggled to keep up.

A recommendation to Business Oregon was creating a one-stop-shop portal for businesses to access resources, capital, etc. This is a GREAT idea. If the State is able to establish a portal that all local government agencies and businesses can access, this would streamline efforts and free up capacity at local levels to work on more initiatives.

Working in isolation to improve economic conditions for a city was difficult. Residents of a city are also residents of a county, voting district, metropolitan area, and state - all of which have control over economic conditions, policies, and efforts that effect them. If efforts are coordinated across city departments, nonprofits, and other ec. dev. entities, then each entity will be stronger and better supported, and the businesses being reached will experience smoother programs and coordinated efforts.

3. Addressing the elephant in the room — taxes

It is ironic that the first strategic goal of the roadmap is to accelerate Oregon’s economic growth — GDP. To me, this acts as a better measure to see if economic development initiatives are being effective. If businesses grow and stay, and if the workforce becomes more aligned with the industries here, then naturally GDP will go up. Putting this as the first goal signals that their focus is simply creating additional revenue for the state. More taking, without the incentives.

Both studies cited high business taxes as a primary reason for businesses leaving the state. The only place the roadmap truly addressed this was in step 5 of their next steps, to explore targeted tax changes to spur living wage job creation and increase GDP. The new council leading these efforts must develop recommendations for the 2027 legislative session that aligns with strategic goals. Yet, in their strategic goals, they focus on wanting to create funds that businesses can apply for to help with growth… which would essentially be additional safety nets. Once again, we’re not thinking long term on how to build and maintain these safety nets. That must come first through attracting business investment and talent.

It’s obvious that Oregon is doing everything it can to try and address the challenges businesses are facing without evaluating clearly the single-biggest issue they point to — high taxes. Bottom-line, most businesses are only interested in reducing their overhead and increasing their margins. Without taking a hard look at tax policy, all of these efforts could fall short of attracting, retaining, and expanding businesses.

Conclusion

This is simply the beginning of a long journey for Oregon. The Roadmap was not meant to be conclusive, but to get things started and signal the direction Oregon government is taking things.

Overall, I feel encouraged that Oregon is finally addressing the need for better streamlined economic development tools. Establishing a Chief Prosperity Officer is a solid move in prioritizing ec. dev. and aligning agencies across the state. We will see once the 2027 legislative sessions comes around how they look at tax changes, and whether they listen to the voiced challenges of businesses here.

I’ll continue to analyze Oregon’s efforts on this journey, so stay tuned.

Sincerely,

Grace

US Workforce Trends 💼

Jobs and labor data continue to prove inconsistent.

I was hopeful that this November Roundup would have more data to work with than the October Roundup, but that is not the case. Because of the government shutdown, data was not collected, with some data not measurable retroactively. Now, we’re left piecing together data from private sources and skimming through anything the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has released.

The BLS announced they won’t be releasing September employment and unemployment data until December 11 - conveniently the day after the Federal Reserve is meeting to determine next interest rate cuts (rate cuts don’t seem likely). I say “conveniently,” because if data showed negative trends for employment, the Feds would be pressured to lower the rates again, even with inflation persisting and the stock market booming.

The BLS also announced they won’t be releasing the Consumer Price Index data for October, but they will be releasing November data on December 18, also conveniently after the Feds meet. The BLS will be releasing August data on job openings and labor turnover (JOLTS) tomorrow, NO data release for September, and October/November data on the 9th.

JOLTS data is arguably more important than unemployment data, as unemployment shows a current trend, but job openings demonstrates which direction we’re headed in next. If jobs aren’t being created, even with the rate cuts we’ve had, then this will demonstrate that the interest rate cuts have little to no impact on whether businesses will reinvest and create more jobs. AKA - new methods would need to be implemented in order to incentivize the private sector to create more jobs.

Here’s what we do know:

• The August jobless rates were higher than the year prior in 243 of the 387 metropolitan areas measured, with some metros reaching 20%.

• Unemployment rose in September to 4.4% (7.6 million people), from 4.3% in August, so unemployment is going up, but gradually.

• ADP jobs report says private employers added 42,000 jobs in October (first jobs added to outpace cuts since July). Jobs were shed in business services, information, and leisure and hospitality. Education, healthcare, and trade and transportation led the growth, per usual.

  • However, Revelio Labs reported that the economy lost 9,100 jobs in October.

  • We won’t have a clearer picture of how many jobs were added or lost in October until the BLS releases their numbers, but these different reports accurately reflect the confusion and lack of consistent data.

• Job cuts have surpassed 1 million for the highest October total since 2003.

  • Employers announced 153,074 cuts in October.

• This year through October, US employers announced 488,077 planned hires, down 35% from this point in 2024.

Something to keep an eye on is the US import and export price indexes to be released on December 3. A large contributor to the chaos being experienced in the job market is tariffs. The import and export data we’ll see will be very telling of the impact the tariffs are having on trade and prices.

Overall, it is difficult to tell how the economy is actually doing. On the front of my mind still is the BLS correction to 2024 data, where they revised the job openings number to 911k less than they originally reported for 2024. With unemployment higher in 2025, I’m hesitant to believe recent job openings numbers, and I’m doubtful many jobs have actually been added this fall. We won’t truly know what we’re experiencing until next year when they release revised numbers for 2025.

Tyson is “right-sizing” their business by performing layoffs and lining investor pockets.

America’s largest meat supplier, Tyson Foods, announced it is closing one of its largest beef-processing plants in Lexington, Nebraska, laying off about 3,200 employees in a town the size of only 11,000. Another plant in Amarillo, Texas is also laying off over 1,000 employees. The company cites droughts, low cattle supply, and high costs of inputs for the layoffs, stating costs rose nearly $2 billion for the past fiscal year. Meanwhile, it’s operating income increased by 26% this year compared to 2024, so it looks like they’re still doing well?

Tyson is saying it needed to “right size” its business, even though beef has been at (artificially?) record-high prices this year. At the same time, the company paid its CEO $22.7M - 525x its median employee’s salary. It also spent $196M in stock buybacks. Companies may buy back their own stock if they think it is undervalued on the market (signaling confidence in itself) and/or if they want to raise the remaining share prices, but it is more often used to reward shareholders and investors. So what does this mean?

Appeasing shareholders will always take precedence over anything else. The Tyson CEO and its investors are having a great year financially while its employees lose their jobs before Christmas. Many companies have in the past tried to avoid layoffs before the holidays for morale, but this is not the case for Tyson’s insatiable greed.

US Consumer Confidence is sharply declining.

According to the Consumer Confidence Survey by the Conference Board, consumer confidence fell sharply in November across jobs, incomes, financial institutions.

The Expectations Index, which is based on short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions, fell by 8.6 points to 63.2. The index has tracked below 80 for ten consecutive months, the threshold used to gauge signals for an upcoming recession.

Something interesting about this is that US consumer spending has not been going down. Those earning over $100k spent 4.3% more in the third quarter than a year ago, and those earning less than $60k still spent 3.8% more. Sounds to me like lay-away retail therapy.

Global Scope 🌍

Indian Prime Minister Modi is changing up India’s labor laws.

In India, 95% of industrial firms employ fewer than ten workers, other firms have exactly 99 employees, and 42% of the manufacturing workforce is contracted labor. These strange stats can be owed to their complicated labor laws. On November 21st, Indian’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced he plans to liberalize hiring and firing and increase flexibility for and simplify compliance to free up India’s labor market.

Currently, many rules only apply to firms with ten or more staff, and they typically cause a 35% increase in labor costs. This had led to a “missing middle” where companies either remain small, or they’re large enough to cope. India’s Industrial Disputes Act also makes it incredibly difficult for firms with over 100 employees to fire any workers. These laws have discouraged companies from scaling, investing, and hiring.

PM Modi’s proposals includes promises of social security for gig workers, added rights to contract, and the removal of restrictions stopping women from working at night or in specific industries. They’re hoping this will free up labor, add more jobs to the economy, and make the country more competitive globally.

Work Wins, Woes, & Whoas

Work Wins 🏆

Parents often have to make the difficult decision of whether to both return to work to pay for childcare or for one parent to take care of the children full time while the other parent brings in an income. Well, beginning November 1st, 2025, New Mexico became the first state to offer universal, no-cost child care to all families, regardless of income. This amounts to an average annual family savings of $12,000 per child.

They are also taking actions to build up childcare statewide through establishing low-interest loans to construct and expand child care facilities, partnering with employers and school districts to expand care options for working families, and launching a statewide campaign to recruit licenses and registered home providers. These efforts are being paid for through their Early Childhood Education and Care Fund. In 2019, New Mexico started planning for the program by adding $320 million from surplus oil and gas revenues to the fund, growing it to over $10 billion now. As child care costs continue to rise and demand for free child care grows, time will tell which other state’s follow in New Mexico’s footsteps.

Work Woes 📉

The Education Department has proposed to reclassify certain professions and remove them from being considered “professional” degrees, beginning July 1, 2026. Most notably, the administration removed nursing, education, physical therapy, physicians assistant programs, social work, and others from the list, sparking alarm amongst… everyone.

Of course, what this truly has to do with is money. Under the proposal, students pursuing “professional” degrees could borrow up to $50k annually, $200k lifetime limit. Graduate programs excluded from the professional category would receive lower caps of $20,500 per year and $100,000 lifetime limit.

It is so odd that this is where the administration is choosing to cut costs. Some say the hope is for universities to lower tuition, but targeting our most vital pipeline of healthcare and education workers seems to be a big risk for a problem that could be addressed through other means. The health care industry continues to grow, and demand for health care professionals is one of the only factors propping up any positive job growth numbers we’re seeing. A reduced health care workforce, due to inaccessible education, could lead to immeasurable damage and lives lost. Projections already note that 40% of nurses are expected to leave the workforce by 2029.

Work Whoas 🚨

Scandal and controversy have broken out at the HR professional firm Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). SHRM is a national leader in providing educational materials and credentialing programs to HR professionals. It has helped shape HR departments across the country, along with national policy, briefing judges and lawmakers on workforce practices. Recently, some problems have come to light regarding the company, and former employees opened up to Business Insider about what’s been going on. It doesn’t look good.

Typically, when a business has to perform annual job cuts or organization restructuring, it is seen as a sign of poor management and planning - according to SHRM, anyway. SHRM does not do as they say though, and perform layoffs annually. Employees report that people who are not 100% aligned with the latest messaging from leadership were typically laid off or encouraged to find another job. Others stated than managers said they liked instilling fear into their employees to keep them performing, even though SHRM essays report doing so negatively affects the workplace. Let’s not even touch on their 1-minute-late policy, the dress code, or the sultry birthday performances.

For a company that sells HR guides and best practices, they sure like to go against their own advice.

🔦Career Spotlight🔦

Logistics and Supply Chain Analyst

Demand for Logistics and Supply Chain Analysts is expected to remain strong throughout the next decade as global trade, e-commerce, and manufacturing continue to expand. Organizations across industries depend on efficient supply chains, and demand for professionals who can analyze data, optimize operations, and maintain smooth product flow is steadily growing. Logistics and Supply Chain Analysts play a key role in improving inventory management, reducing costs, and maintaining timely delivery of goods. The work is analytical, fast-paced, and cross-functional. As of 2024, annual salaries typically range from $58k–$90k, with analysts in manufacturing, transportation, and large corporations earning on the higher end.

Becoming a Logistics and Supply Chain Analyst: To get started, most employers require a bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, logistics, business, operations management, or a related discipline. Many programs blend include data analysis, procurement, inventory systems, and operations planning with practical case studies or internships. While not always mandatory, certifications such as APICS CPIM/CSCP, Certified Supply Chain Professional, or Six Sigma can strengthen your qualifications and career prospects. If you’re interested in the field without obtaining a degree, experience can be gained through entry-level warehousing and inventory management positions.

Who’s Hiring 🔍

• Ford: The Ford CEO announced they have 5,000 open mechanic jobs with 6-figure salaries but are having trouble filling them because of manually skilled worker shortages.

• Wells Fargo: Increasing their hiring in November and December.

• RobinHood: Announced they are expanding their teams and growing the company.

• ASML: The world’s leading machine manufacturer for chip-making (think AI) is growing and increasing their hiring globally.

• Oscar Health: This startup health insurer is growing their team.

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In case you missed it ⬇️

Things begin to change the moment you take accountability for your life.

Lately, I’ve noticed a growing aversion to accountability. We’re obsessed with saving face, but hesitant to apologize, own mistakes, or examine our actions. It’s easier to shift blame than to shoulder it.

But every time you trade accountability for victimhood, you hand your power to someone else. Your life becomes theirs - their choices, their outcomes, their story. The weight of responsibility can feel heavy, but the weight of victimhood is crushing.

Accountability can seem intimidating, but it’s actually where freedom begins. When you own your choices - the good and the bad - your life becomes yours again. My choices. My failures. My wins. My life.

If you’re still operating from a victim mindset, you’re limiting your potential. You’re admitting you have no control. Accountability may be uncomfortable, but it’s lighter, freer, and ultimately the key to growth in your career and in your life.

I can’t, I’m accountability-intolerant.

We avoid accountability because we fear blame, judgment, and failure.
We also avoid it because that’s what is modeled for us. No one demonstrates accountability-intolerance quite like politicians.

Government shutdown? It’s the other side of the aisle, not us.

“Our party really tried, but because of them we couldn’t get it done. We’re victims too! But if you vote for us again, we promise we’ll fix it next time — unless, of course, they get in the way again.”

Our leaders have made victimhood the default setting. So, of course, it was only a matter of time until this mindset got adopted by the population.

While no one wants to be wrong, judged, or seen as a failure, refusing to own our shortcomings only gives others power over us.

When you own your faults, no one can use them against you.

They can try - but when you’ve already admitted your mistakes, what else can they say?

“You did this wrong.”
Yes, and?

Once you accept the blame, it’s no longer someone else’s ammo.

Mistakes aren’t the end of the world unless you treat them that way, or let others define them for you. They’re truly opportunities for growth.

Accountability is disarming. We’re so used to finger-pointing that when someone apologizes first, takes ownership, and lays it all out, people don’t know what to do. Usually? They move on.

And you do too - stronger, lighter, and better every day.

Inaction is the fear of failure.

We often avoid accountability through inaction. If you do nothing, you can’t be blamed, right?

That might work in your personal life, but in the workplace? Inaction is a choice - and a visible one. People choose inaction because they’re afraid of their [in]capabilities. Trying and failing feels riskier than not trying at all. Not trying means we can still believe we’d succeed “if we really tried.”

Trying and failing can affirm our insecurities - and that is terrifying.

I see this all the time in student-athletes. They love the sport, they show up, but they hold back. Passion and effort are “cringe.” Deep down, they’re afraid to find out they’re not good enough, even when they give it their all. My job as a coach is to create a space where trying and failing is safe, because that’s the only way to improve.

That fear of not being enough keeps us from going after what we want - the fear of trying and still failing. And I’ve felt it too.

Last lacrosse season, I coached a tough loss. It wasn’t catastrophic for our team, but as the coach (the one accountable for performance), I felt I’d failed them. I had done everything I could, and still lost. It gutted me, and I didn’t know how to come back from it. I spiraled into a dramatic, “I’ll never step on a lacrosse field again.”

But accountability doesn’t let you hide. There were more games to play. I had to show up, process the loss, and learn from it. Quitting wasn’t an option. And leaning into that discomfort made me a better coach.

Taking accountability and giving your full effort means the failures hurt more. Things were up to you, and you didn’t deliver. But they also matter more. The work gets harder, but so do you. And nothing beats hearing, “Good game, Coach,” after a win. I can’t take credit for the good games without facing the bad.

When we choose inaction, we protect our egos:

“I didn’t really try, but if I had, I’d have done great.”

That’s the lie we tell ourselves to avoid failure.

But accountability - real ownership - invites feedback. And feedback, while uncomfortable, is the only way we grow, if we take action from it.

Without accountability, there’s no feedback.
Without feedback, there’s no growth.

Finger-pointing is a power transfer.

It can feel easier to let others take responsibility for your life. But, every time you blame someone else, you hand them your power. Be careful who you give it to.

I tell my athletes all the time: control the controllables.

Focus on what you can control (what you are responsible for) — your preparation, your attitude, your effort, your words, your boundaries.

And let go of what you cannot control (are not responsible for) — their preparation, their attitude, their effort, their boundaries.

When you stop taking accountability for what you can control, you surrender your only power. Sometimes it’s to avoid blame. But often?…

You avoid accountability because you don’t trust yourself.

If you don’t trust yourself, why should anyone else? In the workplace, trust and accountability go hand in hand. More pay, higher title, more visibility - they all come with more responsibility. The higher you rise, the more outcomes you own.

If you’re not growing in your career, you might be avoiding accountability.
Are you signaling that you’re ready for it? Are you owning your mistakes, or hiding from them?

You can’t pick and choose when you stand in the spotlight.
You either step into it, with your wins and your failures, or you stay in the dark.
But you can’t have one without the other. If you’re not taking responsibility for your mistakes, you can’t own the wins.

Point of Privilege - I am accountable.

It’s not something you should do - it’s something you can do.

“Should” is a bad word in my vocabulary. It’s laced with guilt, pressure, and the illusion of no choice. Accountability, on the other hand, is about choice and empowerment.

As a head coach for a high school team, I’m in a position of privilege. For a few hours each day, the school and parents trust me with their student-athletes. It’s a responsibility I take seriously. I don’t have to coach this team, but I do get to coach. this team

Taking accountability is a decision, not a demand. You don’t have to do it.
But remember - inaction is still an active choice.

Ironically, if you don’t take control of your life, you’re still the one responsible for that decision. Victimhood is a hard habit to break. It’s comfortable. It lets resentment and blame become an identity, and anger becomes the fuel.

Accountability? That’s true freedom. The next move is always yours.
No one has ammo on you. You show up authentically, owning your mistakes, your wins, and everything in between.

Every time you hide from accountability, you pass on the chance to prove your worth and grow your capability.

If you want to stay where you are, stay the victim. No “shoulds” here.

But if you’re ready for change - keep reading.

Accountability adds pressure and demands growth.

The biggest moments of growth in my personal and professional life have always been on the other side of accountability.

When I first accepted the head coaching job, I felt the pressure immediately - not as fear, but as a fuel. The kind of stress that demands you rise to meet it. I wanted to show up as my best self every day. That pressure makes me better.

Situational stress can be a gift because it demands action. I had taken on a role bigger than I was, which meant I had to grow into it. That’s what accountability does: adds pressure and demands growth.

Accountability teaches preparation. When the outcomes are up to you, success comes down to how well you prepare. Thinking ahead. Anticipating hurdles. Staying ready.

Preparation means controlling the controllables: drafting the plan, doing the research, showing up early, checking your attitude.

Accountability teaches excellence. It pushes you to review what worked, what didn’t, and how to communicate better next time. It teaches you how to identify and problem-solve, because the stakes are high. It’s sink or swim, and that’s where real growth happens.

These are the exact same skills that set people apart in their careers.
Accountability is showing up when and how you say you will. It’s consistency under pressure. It’s dependability.

The more accountability you take on, the more valuable you become - which is often reflected in your paycheck. Managers, leaders, and business owners earn more because they’re accountable for more than themselves. They represent teams, outcomes, and trust.

In a world full of people avoiding responsibility, accountability is a competitive edge.
Everyone’s looking for the person who shows up.

Building accountability-tolerance.

Learning to take accountability doesn’t happen overnight, or through inaction. It’s built through small, consistent steps. Here are some ideas on how you can start:

1. Apologize early and own it.

   If you mess up, don’t wait until someone calls you out. Be the first to say it. Most people don’t expect others to own their mistakes, so it catches them off guard. When you acknowledge it first, you take away their ammo. There’s no drama, just a path forward. Keep your power. Stay focused.

2. Practice honestly in the small things.

   If you’re late, don’t blame traffic if it wasn’t traffic.

   Recently, I showed up late and admitted to my friend, “I didn’t manage my time well.” She smiled and responded, “I get it, no worries.” That was it. People respect honesty.

3. Find external accountability with low stakes.

   Most of us aren’t great accountability partners to ourselves, especially when nothing’s on the line. Think about how often New Year’s resolutions work out.
   If there’s something or someone counting on me - a volunteer shift, a friend to meet, a team depending on me - I’ll show up. Find something outside yourself that keeps you accountable: tell a friend what you’re working on, join a running club, sign up for a weekly commitment. Make showing up a habit.

4. Redefine accountability as potential rather than punishment.

   Accountability unlocks possibilities of potential. It means there’s something to strive for - and you get the chance to see what you’re capable of. You never know who’s watching.
   If accountability feels like punishment, it might mean your actions and values aren’t aligned. Pick your battles. Ask yourself, “Am I where I want to be?”
   If not, take inventory. What can you control? What can you do today to move one step closer?

5. Focus on what could go right.

   When fear drives your decisions, you’re always playing defense. You move to avoid losing. But what if you played to win?
   Instead of asking, “What if this goes wrong?” ask, “What’s the best that could happen?”
   We spend so much time imagining failure that we forget to imagine success. Don’t let fear dictate your effort. Take the risk. That’s where growth happens.

Closing thoughts.

The identity of “victim” isn’t serving you, and it’s not protecting you from failure. It’s weighing you down, giving away your power, and hurting your career.

Let that identity go. Step into the spotlight - in your career, your relationships, your life.

You don’t have to take accountability in your life. You get to.

It’s never too late, but it is up to you.

And on the other side of accountability is growth, excellence, and freedom.
Maybe even a few well-earned, “Good game, Coach.”

US Workforce Trends 💼

Moving in the dark during data blackout.

As we know, the US federal government has been shutdown since October 1. This shutdown comes at a convenient time for them, as people (me) would be watching the market and labor numbers closely. Because of the shutdown, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) hasn’t been releasing their typical data, like unemployment claims, the jobs report, and other key data employers and consumers rely on.

Historically, it takes about 6 months for a nation to feel the impact of increased tariffs. Well, April was 6 months ago, so we should start seeing the impacts of them. But we can’t.

Last week, the only data the BLS released was the CPI report for September: 3%. This was lower than expected, which of course, is why they released it. Good News!! Look over here! We’re doing great!

The worry is that if negative data is released, it could shake up confidence in the economy, turning things worse. I imagine [hope] they’re coming up with a game plan on how to move forward once data is actualized and released. But, they’ve already announced that they won’t be releasing the October CPI data in November… 🚩

Beyond this CPI report, we don’t know what else is going on, and I’m skeptical to the motives behind the data releases - particularly what they’re not releasing. The feds already took this opportunity [lack of data] to make a decision on the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for SSN and other beneficiaries for 2026, announcing a 2.9% increase.

Even without the data for proof, people are feeling the impacts of the market. The Consumer Sentiment report from the University of Michigan showed a 2.7% decrease in consumer confidence in financial institutions from September to October, and a change of -24% from October 2024 to October 2025. 📉

The Federal Reserve is meeting this Wednesday, October 29 (happy birthday mom!), to discuss the next interest rate cut, and economists are predicting another .25% cut to bring the interest rate down to 3.75-4.00%. As the government continues to move in the dark without public data or transparency, I anticipate consumer sentiments to continue going down.

Small businesses lead the way in workforce stability.

When job turnover (number of people who leave an organization, whether voluntarily or involuntarily) is high, this will typically indicate a stronger job market, with people leaving jobs for more profitable opportunities, ideally. We saw a lot of turnover in 2022, aka the Great Resignation, with many people voluntarily changing employers. When turnover is low, like it is right now despite mass layoffs, it could still indicate a stable job market, but more likely it is indicative of workers hesitating to switch jobs because of instability. ADP Research is calling this the Big Stay.

Small businesses (fewer than 50 people on payroll) are currently experiencing lower rates of turnover (4.9%) than larger employers (5.7-6.1%). This is significant because small businesses account for nearly 44% of US employment. During these tumultuous times, small businesses are providing stability and tenure to 44% of the workforce. While we can’t control the job market, we can continue to support small business that employ our local workforces and maintain valuable jobs.

As we head into the holiday season, I want to encourage everyone to shop more locally. Supporting local businesses is the best way to invest back into your community and the trickle down will be more impactful than that from any big corporation. If you haven’t heard, the day after Black Friday is Small Business Saturday! This is the perfect opportunity to support your local economy and invest back into your community.

Share New Ropes

Layoffs, layoffs, layoffs…

Layoffs are still going on, and they’re speeding up.

• UPS - eliminated 34,000 operational jobs so far this year, while earning huge corporate profits, and is expecting to cut costs by $2.2 billion.

• Amazon - eliminating up to 30,000 corporate jobs, 10% of corporate employees.

• Intel - laying off 24,000 employees, expecting to save $17 billion in costs this year.

• Accenture - cut 22,000 jobs this year for AI-led restructuring.

• Meta - Cutting 600 roles from the company’s AI unit.

• Microsoft - will cut nearly 6,000 jobs across divisions.

• Salesforce - cut 4,000 customer support jobs in AI restructuring.

• PwC - reduced head count by 5,600 employees, while revenue has grown 2.9%.

• Paramount - announced new layoffs, around 2,000 jobs in US.

While every job market faces challenges when adopting new technology, these layoffs are coming at a time when the US is already experiencing major jobs shortages.

Global Scope 🌍

What to know about the H-1B Visa changes.

The H-1B is a non-immigrant visa allowing US employers to employ foreign workers in “specialty occupations” - typically requiring at least a bachelor’s degree, capping at 85,000 new visas annually. The main industries these visa holders occupy are IT/computer/tech, architecture and engineering, business and finance, and smaller numbers within healthcare, education, and science.

On September 19, 2025, the Trump Administration announced a presidential proclamation imposing a supplemental $100,000 fee on H-1B visa petitions filed by US employers for workers outside the United States, effective September 21. The fee does not apply to current H-1B holders re-entering the country under existing visas.

This measure would increase costs for companies hiring international talent and could significantly affect technology and consulting firms. The administration stated the goal was to discourage the use of lower-paid H-1B positions (a long-standing criticism of the program) and to encourage the hiring of American workers. These reforms also signal a shift toward prioritizing higher-wage, higher-skill H-1B applicants, potentially discouraging outsourcing of lower-paid roles.

With a weak job market, these changes could boost employment for American workers and open roles that might have otherwise been filled by H-1B visa holders. Others argue they could make it harder to fill specialized positions that depend on foreign-born talent, such as doctors and teachers. Critics worry the US may deter top global talent, while protectionists believe these safeguards will strengthen and grow the nation’s specialized workforce.

If implemented with stronger workforce development efforts in affected industries, I think these changes could help build a more resilient domestic talent pool and expand opportunities for those already invested in their US education and careers. If implemented in isolation, they could risk pushing companies to outsource entire functions abroad, bypassing the visa program altogether. Many of these measures face legal challenges, and time will tell which reforms ultimately take hold.

Work Wins, Woes, & Whoas

Work Wins 🏆

The growth in AI isn’t only driving up demand for workers with tech backgrounds. With the growth of AI comes the need to develop the electrical grid and invest in energy (especially renewables) and other supporting industries.

Many of the fastest growing jobs are within the energy sector, with many of them not requiring formal 4-year degrees. Demand is especially increasing for wind turbine techs, elevator techs, industrial machinery mechanics, and railroad workers. Many of these career paths offer 6-digit salaries, once experienced in the industry.

If college never felt right for you, now’s the time to explore alternative pathways that offer long-term, stable careers.

Work Woes 📉

As the Federal government enters its 4th week of shutdown, federal worker unemployment claims are on the rise. There are roughly 1.4 million federal workers who are being furloughed right now, and though the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 guarantees they will be paid in full, workers are still worried. These protections do not reach contractors to the federal government, which is another large chunk of workers facing challenges because of the shutdown.

Work Whoas 🚨

Data for law school admissions for this year show a 30% increase in applicants from this time last year. Harper’s Magazine also released numbers for September 2024 and September 2025 LSAT registrations, showing a large uptick.

While economists note that early numbers can change dramatically, the uptick is registrations cues us on how people are feeling about the current job market and political climate. When people are worried about the state of the Union, we see an uptick in grad school applications and LSAT registrations. We saw a similar jump in 2022 when the tech layoffs began.

The surge in LSAT registrations signals rising competition for law school admissions. I’ve written before about the realities of graduate education and urge caution to anyone considering leaving a job for a “better” one through additional schooling, especially if it means taking on significant debt. In today’s uncertain job market, such decisions should be made with a focus on long-term demand, value, and stability.

🔦Career Spotlight🔦

Physical Therapy Assistant

Demand for Physical Therapy Assistants and aides is projected to grow by 16% between 2024 and 2034. The healthcare and rehabilitation field remains one of the fastest-expanding sectors in the United States, driven by an aging population and increased focus on mobility and wellness. Physical Therapy Assistants work under the direction of licensed Physical Therapists to help patients recover movement, manage pain, and regain independence after injury or illness. The work is hands-on and physically engaging, but as of 2024, wages range from $52k–$78k annually, ($34k+ for aides) with those in hospital/outpatient settings typically earning on the higher end.

Becoming a Physical Therapy Assistant: To get started, the minimum education required is typically an associate’s degree from an accredited Physical Therapist Assistant program, along with a state license or certification. Most programs include both classroom study and supervised clinical experience to prepare you for real-world patient care. After completing your degree, you’ll need to pass the National Physical Therapy Exam (NPTE) for PTAs to become licensed. Some employers also provide on-the-job training to help you specialize in areas like orthopedics, pediatrics, or sports rehabilitation.

Who’s Hiring 🔍

• Retailers:

  • Catalyst Brands - Heading into the holiday season, brands under Catalyst are increasing hiring, such as JCPenny, Lucky Brands, Aeropostale, and Eddie Bauer.

  • Kohl’s - Increasing hiring for in-store positions, distribution centers, and e-fulfillment centers.

  • Dollar Tree - Announced increased hiring nation-wide.

  • Bath&Body Works - Plans on hiring 30,000 workers for the holiday season.

  • Mid-Luxury Brands - The luxury industry continues to grow. Jobs can be found on the Fashion Jobs and Business of Fashion job boards.

• Domestic Supply Chain:

  • Demand for workers with skills in domestic procurements, supply chain management, and trade compliance are rising as logistics and supply chain continue to grow in the US.

• Job Boards Database - This is the job boards of all job boards - literally. It organizes job boards into different industries, making it easy to find job boards in your industry of interest!

Reader Survey 🔎

Personal Developments 🌱

🎧What I’m listening to: How to Design Your Life (A Full Step-by-Step Process) - The Mel Robbins Podcast - I’m a huge fan of the Mel Robbins Podcast, and this episode has been one of my favorites to date. It provides practical tools on how to design the life you want, especially in relation to a career. My take away quote is, “It’s not too late, but it is up to you.”

📚 What I’m Reading: Geno: In Pursuit of Perfection by Geno Auriemma with Jackie MacMullan - As many of my readers know, I am the head coach for a high school girls’ lacrosse program here in Oregon, going into my 3rd season as the head coach, 7th season with the same school. Lacrosse is a spring sport, but I’ve been itching to get the [ground]ball rolling and continue improving my coaching skillset. This book has been highly recommended to me, about the coaching style of the head coach of the University of Connecticut Huskies women’s basketball team, Geno Auriemma.

📺 What I’m watching: Severance - I’ve been told this is a show I must watch, considering the topics I write about, so I’m finally watching it for the first time. Stay tuned for any thought pieces that come out of my binge!

In case you missed it ⬇️

When the check engine light comes on in your car, it’s time to take a look under the hood. Probably replace something. The problem could be small, or large, but we all know that if left unchecked, it will likely amount to bigger problems later.

The check engine light for the US economy (early recession indicators as the internet likes to call them) has been on for a while, and it seems the light has been duct taped over to make the problem go away.

Things Feel Unstable

Something feels off in the US economy. The headlines say unemployment is low-ish (4.3%) and that the markets are soaring. At the same time, we’re learning that the number of people unemployed is greater than open jobs available for the first time since recovering from the pandemic, inflation is not slowing down (nor captured accurately by CPI), and for most people, life feels more precarious than ever. Wages are even beginning to decline in some states. What used to be called job tenure is now deemed “job hugging,” as workers are terrified to leave even mediocre roles because of job market instability.

Then you add in the “AI Bubble.”

This all results in an economy increasingly detached from real work, intentional intervention, and lived experience. I have never felt very represented by the stock market anyway, but I didn’t think I could feel this far removed.

I was waiting to publish this until I had solutions, but that might be a while. For now I want to bring awareness, transparency, and clarity to what I see going on, mixed in with a bit of speculation.

Holes in the Data

The government has been shut down since October 1st because of arguments over the government funding bill, which has to be passed every October for the Feds fiscal year (Oct-Sept). Because of this shutdown, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) hasn’t been releasing new data typically scheduled to release, like the jobs report. This is convenient timing for them, as the data they’ve been releasing has been facing extreme heat over its inaccuracies and false narrative.

For example, the BLS released an updated jobs report for data from March 2024-2025, and the data showed 911k less jobs than were initially reported. People are not happy with how off these initial estimates were, casting skepticism on their data collection methods.

Youtuber ClearValue Tax breaks down in this video the holes in the data clearly. Some things to know when evaluating BLS Consumer Price Index data is that they use a Substitution Effect and Hedonic Adjustments. The first assumes people will switch to cheaper goods when prices rise, and the second removes price increases attributed to “quality improvements.” This means you as the consumer must always opt to buy the cheapest options available to stay aligned with CPI, and that if prices go up, let’s say for a smartphone, those price increases are left out of the CPI because they’re quality improvements. Many items could fall under these categories.

Therefore, even if August CPI data shows a 2.9% increase in all goods year-over-year, your bills and the average costs for things you purchase have likely gone up much more than these numbers capture. CPI doesn’t accurately reflect inflation anyway, as this is truly measured by money floating around in the economy - which the Federal Reserve has a print order to print anywhere from 3.8 to 5.1 billion notes for the 2026 calendar year.

Employment Signals

From the 911k jobs that were cut for 2024, the greatest markdowns were seen in hospitality, professional and business services, and retail trade, but most sectors saw markdowns - except transportation and warehousing and utilities.

So far in 2025, companies have announced 946k job cuts. This is expected to surpass a million by the end of the year. Periods with similar job cuts were experienced during recessions or first waves of automations that cost jobs. Of these job cuts, 293k are attributed to DOGE actions, 208k to market/economic conditions, 144k to closings, 100k to restructuring, and only 17k were attributed to AI. We’ll touch on that more later.

Hiring for retail is a significant indicator for how the economy is doing. In the first five months of 2025, retail jobs were cut by 274%. In relation to the labor market, if not enough people are working or have steady income, then consumption goes down. If we’re already seeing these retail job cuts, that indicates these large companies are forecasting consumer spending to tighten. Firms like PwC are projecting holiday sales to decline this year, with other experts stating retail hiring this year could see its lowest point since the 2009 season.

While BLS data is stalled, we can look to private data companies, like ADP and Revelio Labs, for their job reports.

ADP reports that in September net private employment decreased by 32k jobs. They also reported the gap between the lower-income earners and highest-income earners widening.

Revelio Laps reported jobs postings and salaries from new job postings decreased in September, by .6% and 3% respectively. They did say the Retail sector showed employment gains of 40k jobs though, somewhat countering the other predictions for retail hiring, but still low when compared to prior seasons.

If job numbers continue to go down, the Feds will be pressured to cut interest rates again, risking increased inflation.

Market Fragility

Savings Down, Debt on the Rise

Average US bank account savings have been eroded by nearly 70% since 2000.

Not only are people depleting their savings, they are leaning on credit to finance their continued spending.

In Q2 of this year, US household debt reached $18.38 trillion (T). $12.9T of that is mortgage debt. $1.21T is credit card debt, up 5.8% from the same time last year. About $1.64T is student loan debt. Delinquency rates on credit card payments have been climbing since 2021. With a weakening job market, these problems are likely to exacerbate.

If you take a look at the overall US economy, things seem to be doing great!

The S&P 500, which is used to widely capture the value of shares for all the biggest companies (top 500), is up 195% over the last decade. Median home prices continue to go up. Meanwhile, the price of gold is also growing. This is unusual as typically the price of gold goes up when confidence in the US dollar is weak - to offset the risks. But now, the prices of both are going up, signaling confidence in the market and distrust in the value of the US dollar.

Debt as Asset-Backed Securities

Just like the banks have done before, these loans and debts that we’re piling up are being packaged and sold as non-liquid assets to investors to give them more investing money. They’re called “asset-backed securities”, and they can be risky. Asset-backed securities were a large contributor to the housing bubble collapse.

As soon as people begin to default on their debt, which could happen at any time, the dominoes begin to fall. The revenue investors were expecting never comes in. The same revenue that investors already sold to other investors, who already sold to more investors.

Putting it as simply as I can, here’s an example: a bank holds a total of 100k in consumer debt with maybe 10% returns = $110k. It securitizes that debt and sells it to an investor. That investor, now with $110k in theoretical money, buys shares of some companies for its clients. Now these companies’ share values have been inflated by the additional $110k, adding to market confidence, leading to even higher valuations. Those companies go and invest with their new money, maybe promise to buy some chips, and now everyone is richer! All because of our debt. The cycle continues. There’s a lot of this going on right now.

As soon as the debt is defaulted on, all of the companies involved lose that money, because it was never there in the first place. The system only keeps working if no one gets shook and people keep betting on the ability of consumers to pay off debt and not default. If the non-liquid assets can stay non-liquid and no one cashes in.

But, things are getting pretty tight… and people can’t pay back debt if they don’t have.. JOBS.

We’ve all known this. We’ve all been feeling it. But as soon as doubt starts to make its way into the minds of the people who control the stock market and investments, they start to feel it too. Investors start hedging - betting on the downfall rather than the continued growth of certain markets.

The AI Bubble

Invest and forget the rest

Now we get to what’s been all over the news - the AI Bubble.

Silicone Valley investors have been racing each other to pioneer the AI space and fund all of the startups because that’s where the money is! THE FUTURE! No one wants to be late to the future.

Before it was AI, it was the housing bubble. Before the housing bubble, it was the dot com bubble, which closely mirrors the technological effects on the economy we’re feeling now in regard to higher automations and job disruptions.

What’s interesting about the AI bubble is that it has made up nearly 40% of US GDP growth this year. GDP is the value of goods in the US market, calculated by summing consumer spending (that’s us!), business investment (that’s them!), government spending (also them!), and net exports. This means AI investments (not consumer spending, but them spending money on each other in order to make profit later) are making up 40% of growth in the market, which makes everything look and feel good to (them!)

Because the money is flowing! But not from consumer spending. Or earnings.

This graph from Bloomberg has been circulating, illustrating how many AI-related investments are effectively circulating within the same small group of companies. The issue is that when one company “invests” in another, it often boosts both firms’ valuations and expands the recipient’s perceived investment capacity. In many cases, these “investments” are really purchase commitments, aka promises to spend on each other’s products or services, which still boosts values. The result is a cycle where companies keep inflating each other’s valuations without generating corresponding revenue or profits, spending money they haven’t made. This creates the illusion of growth in the stock market without their being any real earnings yet.

Spending and investing only look good until… investors expect consumers to step in and do the spending - so that the tech companies can pay off their debts and they all get their returns.

If I’m not making money, I’m not paying off debt. If AI tech giants aren’t making money, they’re not paying off their debt either.

Maybe I can relate with the stock market after all 🩶

So… are the AI tech giants making money yet?

Corporate Demand for AI

The fear that’s been spread, mostly by AI companies themselves, is that AI will “wipe out half of all entry-level white collar jobs in the next one to five years.” Similar projections are floating around, trying to prepare the workforce for the lack of jobs to come and the need to invest in AI skills and other tech in order to keep up. While learning those skills is important, we haven’t seen many of these layoffs due to AI yet. Like mentioned, of the 946k jobs that were cut, 17k were attributed to AI. That’s about 1% of the cut jobs.

Of course, these numbers don’t capture the hiring freezes many companies have been conducting. As we’ve discussed, there are several factors affecting the limited number of entry-level jobs available, not just AI incorporation. But, many of the companies who have adopted AI to replace people are now scrambling to hire back workers on contract (or gig work) to fix the data and reports produced by AI. Oof.

The US Census Bureau also reported that there has been an obvious drop in corporate AI use since they started the survey in November 2023. Not only that, but 95% of corporations that have adopted AI state the software hasn’t created any new forms of revenue.

And how could I forget to mention that Deloitte is having to pay back the Albanese and Australian governments for reports they were hired to provide that contained errors and fake references? Yes - they admitted to using AI to create the reports.

Doesn’t look like AI will be replacing all of the workers yet.

But if it did, what’s the plan there? Who benefits?

To be clear, I’m not completely against the use of AI. I think it can be an additional tool to utilize like any other innovation in tech we’ve experienced before. I just want to make sure we’re approaching this rationally, yeah?

Consumer Demand for AI

Truth is, AI is a product of the future, and no one knows what to do with it today. It hasn’t quite advanced to where it can replace talented and skilled workers. We’re in a sort of stalemate where the technology needs to advance incredibly in order to recoup costs and be worth while. Getting the tech to a place where it can replace skilled workers will take trillions more dollars. By the time the tech is here, will it be able to generate enough revenue to pay back the trillions of dollars in investments?

The Economist reports that global spending on AI hardware and software reached almost $1T in 2024. They’re predicting it will double to $2T in 2026. Considering much of the tech the investments go into (chips, energy, data centers, etc.) depreciate in value within 3-5 years, the companies will need to invest more to replace the outdated tech. The depreciation will also cut into potential profits and revenue (at least it’s a tax write-off). If the tech was replaced every three years, the Economist estimates this could cut net profit for the AI giants by the trillions in the same amount of time. An accountant’s nightmare.

This means the tech companies need to generate trillions of new revenue, starting soon, to break even.

This Substack post insightfully breaks down how the wave of AI infrastructure spending will require $2T in annual revenue by 2030 to justify its spending. The post dives into how these companies are primarily making money through subscriptions and data center usage. These revenue streams generate nowhere near what the companies need, so now… they’re creating new social media apps. Yikes. I won’t bother listing these apps.

They’re trying to tap into the “attention economy” which makes money mainly through ads. To us, the consumers. To buy more things. Trillions of dollars of more things.

AI is a tool to be used, not a final product to be had. It’s only as valuable as what can be made and sold because of it.

So the major AI tech giants who are swallowing all of the capital in the market and need trillions to produce their tools are relying on demand for more stuff from regular consumers to give them returns on their investments. Riiiggghhhttt.

Let me grab my wallet.

Conclusion

It all feels so incredibly out of touch. Americans are struggling under the weight of inflation, cannot find jobs, and are depleting their savings accounts, while the government and market continue to invest in tech that will require us to fork over more money to make up the revenue? In the TRILLIONS? Printing $5.1B more dollars won’t help with that.

The check engine lights are on. Our attention is spent. Savings are gone. Wages are stagnating. Jobs are disappearing. I don’t think more AI-generated ads are what people need.

The outcomes of all of these decisions could go in multiple directions, but ultimately if the check engine light keeps getting ignored, the problems will grow. All the potholes could be paved over, but if the cars don’t work, no one will be driving. Something is bound to combust. Or pop?

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I want to specify here - I’m mainly talking to people who have a Bachelor’s degree and are thinking of going back to school to obtain an advanced degree.

Please, please, PLEASE, think long and hard before deciding to go back to school.

As we’ve discussed before, we are in a very poor job market and there are more people unemployed than there are jobs available. People are discouraged, applying to 100s of jobs with no responses. It’s a tough situation with no signs of easing up any time soon.

I’ve talked with multiple people recently who, after receiving many rejections or feeling discontent with their current employment, are considering going back to school instead. We’ve been told from generations before us that higher education meant better job opportunities, job security, and higher salaries. With the present state of affairs though, we’re realizing that much of these hopes are now pipe dreams and many of these promises do not hold true present day.

1. The data does not promise higher earnings. The median salary for Master’s degree holders (the salary earned that is smack dab in the middle of earners with the degree, different than the average) is actually LOWER than the median salary for Bachelor’s degree holders. Highlighted in the table below from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), it shows that in 2024, for a Master’s degree the median salary was $81,910 while for a Bachelor’s it was $92,260. This takes into account jobs at all stages of a career, not just the starting wage for new or entry-level jobs.

   

2. The job market is not favoring degree holders. The market is oversaturated with degree holders, while many of the jobs available are not ones that require degrees. The sectors that are growing are mainly in the trades, not in traditional white-collar work. With more people going back to school, the jobs which do require degrees are getting more competitive. Additionally, 2025 hiring trends show employers favoring skills over education. They’re prioritizing jobseekers with good track records and demonstrative skills over diplomas.

   1. Employers are hesitant to hire over-credentialed applicants who might desire a higher salary more than those with a Bachelor’s that are willing to accept the same role for lower.

3. The student loan debt bubble keeps growing, with university graduates struggling to keep up with loan payments. Federal student loan debt is hovering around ~$1.7 trillion, with default rates rising, even more than we saw leading up to the housing bubble of 2007.

4. The opportunity cost for time spent in school is expensive. Time taken away from earning and developing skills and experience is costing more now than ever. With employers valuing experience and skills, time spent out of the job market could further damage future career prospects.

I know it feels good to tell someone you’re enrolled in an advanced degree program rather than admit you feel stuck, but that dopamine hit will fade and reality will set in. There’s no guarantee the job market will be better in two years. Being a “professional student” becomes a cyclical trap difficult to escape.

Don’t keep digging your hole.

This advice especially goes if you currently have a job. The best thing people can do right now if they are employed is to stay employed. If you’re looking for a job, you might need to broaden your job search and accept a position not requiring a degree or even paying lower than you hoped. If you’ve had no luck applying, you may need to aim lower. Any job (gaining experience/staying employed) is better than no job. If you’ve recently graduated with a Bachelor’s and have had difficulty finding employment (like most college grads right now), more school will not help and should not be your fallback.

I know this is not what people want to hear, but I cannot in good faith sugarcoat what is going on. If you are seriously considering going back to school, let’s talk about five things you should consider first.

1. Upskill at your current employer

If you have a job now but know you don’t want to be in that position or industry forever, consider ways you can learn new skills in your current position to help leverage your next one.

At Nike, they encourage their employees to look for stretch opportunities, called “stretches.” While working in one department, they have opportunities to cross-train in others and learn new skills from people outside their current circle. If they excel in their stretch then they might even move them to that department.

If your company doesn’t offer direct opportunities like Nike does, you can ask your manager what types of projects you could help initiate. Or, you could suggest areas you see needing improvement and how you might address those (respectfully). Not every manager will be open to this, but if takes work off of their plate, then they might be all for it.

For example, maybe you run a program that could use some additional funding so you offer to write an application for a grant that would benefit your program. Boom = now you have grant writing experience. Caution: I did this once and got reprimanded by our official grant writing team. We did win the grant though and I still put it on my resume 😌.

Maybe you work for a small business that has no social media presence. Offer to create and manage the socials for the business. Boom = marketing and social media experience.

Look for the gaps. Think of solutions for the gaps. Implement the solutions. Manage the project. Measure the outcomes. Now you have experience in project management!

There are all sorts of opportunities to leverage your current position and build your skill set for your next venture.

Bonus Tip: If you are a valued employee with a drive to grow at your company, see if they’ll offer assistance to obtain an advanced degree. This is more common for MBAs but is definitely worth looking into before embarking on it alone.

2. Consider other avenues to learn/develop new skills

Furthering your education doesn’t have to look like going back to university for an advanced degree. There are free/economical resources out there to look into for areas spanning trades, tech, project management, finance, and more. Here are some resources to look into:

• MITOpenCourseWare

• Open Yale Courses

• Coursera

• Udemy

• Hillsdale

• Khan Academy

• US Career Institute

• Alison - Empower Yourself

• edX

• Saylor Academy

• Free Code Camp

• Pharmuni

Your local community college is also a great resource for certificate programs and specific skill development.

3. Volunteer

If you’re struggling to find a job in your industry of choice or are having trouble branching into a new one, look for opportunities to volunteer your time and skills.

Volunteering can offer multiple avenues for advancement and upskilling. It will help you build rapport, practice implementing your skills, build your resume, and most importantly, create connections in those industries. This can be especially valuable if you took the first job you could find in order to sustain yourself until you find a more desirable role.

It is also a great way to see if you’re interested in a particular industry before diving into an advanced degree program for it. Volunteering may seem time-intensive, exploitive, or impractical, but so would obtaining a degree while accruing $40k+ in debt and then figuring out you’re not passionate about the work.

4. Connect with people

I use the term “connect” rather than “network” because tone is everything, and connecting with people can be for reasons beyond just landing another job.

Connect with people who have gone through a program that you’re considering. Reach out and ask if they can chat for 15 minutes. Ask them what they thought of their program and whether they would recommend it. There will likely be bias in their answer, especially if you’re talking to someone particularly successful, so you’ll need to weigh what they say.

In particular, ask them what they learned and how they landed their next job.

These question are important because many people land jobs through personal connections. Additionally, many people build on their current experience in an industry and an advanced degree is the icing on the cake. If you want to dive into grad school straight from undergrad, you won’t have the same experience they may have had that made landing that next job easier. Consider all the factors involved, but talking to people will help broaden your understanding of the program and its benefits.

Networking is critical to growing in your career, and this article “How to network without actually networking” offers great low-effort ways to get started.

5. Reflect on where you really want to be

Why do you really want to go back to school?

If it’s just to further your job prospects or for the bragging rights, then you might need to reach a little deeper. Higher education isn’t showing much of a payoff at the moment, especially in industries that employers slowing hiring.

Ask yourself what it is you truly want to do. Where and who you would want to be after obtaining a degree.

Some fields of work will definitely require grad school, such as engineering or certain healthcare professions, and if you want to be in a role like that then higher education may be the next step.

But if you’re throwing a dart at the map and going with it, you need to learn more about yourself and figure out what you want.

But Grace, how do I figure out what I want??

So glad you asked, here’s where I would start:

Take some personality/career quizzes!

Here are some recs for free quizzes to take:

Career Focused Quizzes:

• 123 Career Test - quick and gives the 20 top careers that would be a good fit for you.

I was a 100% match for Educational Psychologist, which doesn’t seem too different than what I do now.

• Career Explorer - takes about 30 minutes and provides a thorough analysis.

• Princeton Review Career Quiz - gives lots of suggestions on potential career paths to consider.

Here were my lengthy results:

Personality Focused Quizzes:

• 16 Personalities Test - only takes 10 minutes and I found to be particularly insightful and accurate.

Little spooky how accurate this was actually.

• 123 Personality Test - quick and insightful, but the results are harder to interpret.

• Enneagram Test - some people think the enneagram is cultish lol, and quizzes aren’t the best way to determine your type (I prefer the book The Road Back to You), but it is insightful in figuring out how you’re motivated. Further research will suggest career paths for your type. Mine suggested coach!

I encourage you to not hold on too tightly to the results of personality/career quizzes, as they can’t truly know YOU, but they can offer insights about yourself and your strengths that you may have overlooked. I’m not saying these quizzes will tell you exactly what you want, but they can be tools to help you figure that out for yourself.

Conclusion

If you have a clear direction for where you want to end up, and the path to get there requires a graduate degree, then go for it. Even in a difficult job market, pursuing your dream career is important. If you want to make it work and are willing to put in the work to get there, it will happen.

But let me make this clear:

If you feel lost and directionless, going back to school is not the answer.

US Workforce Trends 💼

911,000 Jobs “Disappeared” Over Night

In my last post, I discussed the lack of entry-level jobs available and the imbalance of there being more people unemployed than jobs available. Many job-seekers were aware of these challenges first hand. Updated job numbers for June and July were already revised, showing a weaker job economy than reported. Glad we weren’t crazy.

Well, turns out we really weren’t crazy, with this fresh set of revisions coming in. Once again, updated job numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show that things were worse than we thought and for even longer than we suspected. From March 2024-March 2025, payroll data shows a drop of 911,000 jobs from the initial estimate from the last year. These are the largest revisions seen since 2002.

911,000 jobs!! Gone. Never existed. For comparison, that’s basically the entire population of South Dakota, if everyone had a job, babies included.

Markdowns were greatest in hospitality, professional and business services, and retail trade, but most sectors saw downward revisions; except transportation and warehousing and utilities.

To get the job numbers, the BLS collects payroll data from companies and tracks business openings and closings. These surveys provide a sample, but they don’t capture the entire population. For the revised numbers, they compare their numbers with data from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages as well as tax data.

Has the BLS been gaslighting us the whole time, or are these honest mistakes? Either way, there are two main concerns here. 1) How healthy is the economy right now, actually? and 2) Why was the data so wrong?

I’ll dive into that soon. But for now, the BLS is definitely facing the heat for their data collection methods.

The Fed Cut Interest Rates by .25%

Because of the weakening job landscape, for the first time since December 2024, the Federal Reserve has lowered interest rates - by .25%, bringing the rate to 4-4.25%.

The Fed had delayed cutting interest rates because inflation remains above the 2% target, at 2.9% according to the CPI (measure of the price of goods and services compared to this time last year (not including housing fyi)). This time, they lowered rates to support a weakening job market, though concerns about inflation persist.

Since the 1970s, the Fed has used interest rates to balance inflation and employment, typically aiming for about 2% inflation and 5% unemployment. Lower interest rates are meant to boost lending and investment, which in turn should create more jobs.

Currently, unemployment is 4.3%, below the 5% mark. While this doesn’t quite meet the conditions for stagflation (a season of high inflation and unemployment), the worry comes from the number of job seekers exceeding available jobs. Hopefully, the lowered interest rates will incentivize employers to create more jobs like the Fed theorizes, but we won’t know until we see the numbers go up… and be revised again in a year.

If inflation continues to increase without jobs being created, things will get much more difficult.

Share New Ropes

Global Scope 🌍

France’s budget cuts to raise retirement age and scrap public holidays lead to public protests.

Unions have been taking to the streets in France this September over the governments new bill for budget cuts. These cuts were proposed to help the nations growing debt crisis, with public debt around 114% of its GDP. The proposal aimed to reduce public spending by €43-44 billion through raising the pension age (aka retirement age) from 62 to 64, scrapping two public holidays, and freezing certain levels of welfare and public spending. Critics argued these cuts would put the most burden on low- to middle-income workers and that it uproots many of the workers rights the French people have fought for and value.

How the bill was pushed through was why contentions rose. Now-former Prime Minister Francois Bayrou forced the budget bill through, bypassing a parliamentary vote (though technically legal through French law.) The current protests reflect opposition to the government’s approach to passing the bill, with the public deeming it as undemocratic. The controversy led to the ousting of the PM, with Sebastien Lecornu taking over as the successor. The full outcomes of these protests remain to be seen.

Work Wins, Woes, & Whoas

Work Wins 🏆

Blue-collar work is beginning to gain popularity among Gen Z, highlighted in the success story of 23-year old Jacob Palmer.

Jacob was a good student in high school, but after figuring out online college wasn’t for him, he decided to pursue becoming an electrician through a full-time apprenticeship. By the age of 21, he opened his own electrical business, grossing $90,000 by the end of his first year in business, 2024. Currently, his sales have exceeded last years.

With university tuition rising higher and higher, it’s important for today’s youth to consider other options outside of the traditional 4-year degree. Additionally, as the job market becomes slower, demand for services in the trades remain steady. AI can’t install electricity is houses yet!

Work Woes 📉

In 2026, it is expected that US companies’ spending on employee health care will grow by 10%. From 2024 to 2025, employee health-care plans already grew by 6.7%, from $14,865 to $15,860 per employee. The linked articles says the costs of prescription drug spending and the rise of chronic conditions are factors in these increased costs.

Health-care costs continue to outpace inflation rates. Because of this, employer-subsidized healthcare is one of the most important factors job-seekers look for in employment opportunities. With these rising costs, survey results from Mercer state that employers are more likely to raise employee cost-sharing amounts for health-care plans.

Work Whoas 🚨

I wrote previously on how companies focusing on quarter-over-quarter profits limits the incentives for them to focus on long-term, sustainable growth. Well, President Donald Trump is pushing the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to move away from quarterly reporting requirements of public companies and toward a semi-annual reporting schedule. Since 1970, investors have relied on these regular reports for transparency into the on-goings of public firms and to determine how to invest and where. Moving to a semi-annual schedule could allow companies to focus on long-term strategies and invest more in their workforce (maybe even create more jobs?).

This would be a big change for the US stock market, but not one that other countries, like China or all EU members, haven’t already adopted. We’ll see whether the SEC adopts this model.

🔦Career Spotlight🔦

Industrial Machinery Mechanics

This role is projected to grow by 13-17% between 2024 and 2034. The manufacturing and logistics industry is one of the few industries experiencing continued growth in the US right now, and demand continues for new and skilled machinery maintenance workers. These mechanics are responsible for installing, replacing, and repairing machinery used in manufacturing. The work is very physically demanding, but as of 2024, the wages range from $63k-95k annually, with millwrights typically earning on the higher end.

Becoming an Industrial Machinery Mechanic: To get started, the minimum education required is a high school diploma or equivalent, and you’ll need to look for a position that offers on-the-job training. Some technical training may also be required in welding, hydraulics, computer diagnostics, or other areas depending on the position. To become a millwright, you will need to complete an apprenticeship, typically involving 3-5 years of training and hands-on experience.

(New!)Who’s Hiring 🔍

RK Industries - RK Industries announced major expansions in Colorado, projecting to create over 1,700 good-paying jobs over the next eight years.

HCA Healthcare / Parallon - HCA Healthcare, through their subsidiary Parallon, is hiring full-time Associates for permanent roles in multiples locations across the US and for remote roles.

Centene Corporation - Centene, a major health plans management company, has many job openings in states across the US.

HCL Technologies - This global consulting and IT services company has many open positions across the US as well as Brazil, Canada, and Mexico.

Personal Developments 🌱

🎧What I’m listening to: Wake Me Up When September Ends - Green Day. Anyone else feeling this? I don’t like to focus on only negative moves in the job market and general workforce, but things have been feeling especially heavy this September.

🍿 What I’m snacking on: GroundUp Nut Butters makes delicious nut butters while offering women overcoming adversity a second chance at employment through their 6–9 month training program that builds job skills and confidence. This not-just-for-profit model blends business success with community impact—proving profit and purpose can go hand in hand. Shop GroundUp Nut Butters

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In Case You Missed It ⤵️

The way I see it, we’re caught at the intersection of two difficult realities in today’s job market: genuine entry-level opportunities are becoming increasingly scarce, and for the first time since April 2021, the number of job-seekers has surpassed the number of available openings.

Where did the entry-level jobs go?

I’ve discussed before on the competition that’s been increasing in the job market, with more and more job-seekers holding 4 year degrees, and how degree-holders are outpacing the number of jobs available which require them. This has created a market where employers can demand more from their large pool of applicants without any give on their end. They know jobs are high in demand, so they increase the requirements to qualify for the role. An employer’s market.

Things have escalated quickly though. Now - 35% of entry-level jobs require three or more years of experience.

I hopped on LinkedIn’s job search to investigate, which showed about 4 million job postings in the US. When I updated the filters to just “entry-level” jobs, it slimmed down to 2 million jobs. I’m curious about the criteria LinkedIn uses for labeling jobs as entry-level or not, because my gut is telling me that half of the jobs in the US likely aren’t entry-level.

Where did the entry-level jobs go?

They’re right here, silly! See? All 2 million of them!!

What the job search doesn’t tell you is that many positions are simply being relabeled as entry-level to cut costs and pay less, while still expecting the same experience and skills as someone who’s been in the industry for years. Because, why not? Who’s stopping them from labeling any job they want as entry-level when they know how desperate people are to find work? They may say they’ll consider transferable skills, but will they? And if they don’t?

We’ve been seeing this for a while and job-seekers are well aware of this issue. It’s a well-used joke that you need to be young but also have at least 10+ years of relevant experience to land your first entry-level position.

We laugh through the tears… and I haven’t even touched on the lack of pay transparency or the unpaid assignments applicants have to do for some jobs.

A report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers showed that 51% of hiring managers believe relevant, on-the-job experience is the most important indicator of a quality hire, over educational attainment, yet only 20% of employers say they provide on-the-job upskilling. *deep breath* The hypocrisy is infuriating, yet not surprising. It leaves people entering the job market scattered on how to gain experience, as employers require said experience, but no one is offering it.

There are risks that employers have to consider when hiring new workers entering the workforce. There’s often high turn-over, long learning curves, and resources required to hire and train new employees. The average hard cost per new hire is about $4,700 (2022 data), including hiring and training, but it is more difficult to measure true costs if considering when the new employee will begin adding genuine value back to the employer.

Employer’s are hesitant to take on these risks, especially when they can outsource certain tasks to AI and poach good candidates from other companies. They’re even hesitant to bring on interns, with internship postings down by 11% in 2025, compared to 2024.

Everyone has to start somewhere. Employers have always needed to hire new people to the workforce. So the question becomes, what is the hold up now? When did the risks become too much?

A more important question is - what will be the long-term effects of an under-developed workforce?

I can’t answer all those questions, but I do know that if left unsolved, problems will worsen. Employers are focusing on solving short-term problems (quarter over quarter profits for shareholders, risk mitigation), rather than looking ahead at their own talent pipeline. They’re creating a workforce gap that will be very challenging, for employers and government, to address in the future if not addressed in the present. Businesses that fail to adapt and develop their own workforce will struggle later to attract the next generation of talent.

Many employers are already facing these challenges, stating that their biggest struggle in the hiring process is finding “quality applicants.” Hmm…

Where did… all of the jobs go?

If you zoom out a bit… you notice that it’s not just young college grads clutching their pearls [degrees]. The problem has spread to all levels in the workforce.

Job openings in the US have been on the decline, and now for the first time since April 2021, the number of unemployed people is higher than the number of job openings. The updated Fed’s job report for July showed 7.24 million people unemployed and 7.18 million job openings. June experienced net job loss, and it’s expected that future job reports will revise the July numbers to show the same.

The difference between April 2021 and now is that back then, the unemployment rate was 6.1%. Now, we have more unemployed people than job openings, but with an unemployment rate of 4.3%. Of course, there are many intricacies and details to consider, but essentially the jobs available have been shrinking faster than the rate that unemployment has risen. The jobs are disappearing. ✨Poof ✨

Ask any job-seeker what their experience has been like searching for a job. They’ll likely tell you they’ve applied to hundreds of positions, been ghosted by most, interviewed for a few, then were passed up for an internal candidate the company was going to promote the whole time.

We all know the federal job cuts are a major contributor to the job losses, but that’s not the only factor here. Industries across the board are cutting jobs.

With these updated job numbers, it’s likely that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates by 0.25-0.5% at their next meeting this month to help stimulate the economy. Theoretically, this will make it easier for businesses to reinvest in themselves, and hopefully create more jobs, if that helps their bottom line. The problem with theory though is that… it’s only theory. Contingent on the factor that it is interest rates holding back employers from creating more jobs.

Will the freed up money be reinvested to create more jobs? Are there enough incentives for businesses to want to create more jobs?

Who’s to say this won’t create more incentives for businesses to streamline and support their bottom line, which is to appease shareholders?

Do the shareholders want more jobs? I haven’t asked them yet.

How these problems compound.

The problem isn’t only a lack of realistic entry-level jobs, now the problem is a lack of all jobs. The path to gaining experience as newbies in the workforce just got harder, with people experienced in the workforce competing for the same open jobs.

Cutting interest rates helps free up some capital, theoretically, but the risks discussed earlier that employer’s face now stretch to all hires. Freed capital is only one incentive, but there are multiple factors contributing to these problems that will need to be addressed. Multi-faceted problems need multi-faceted solutions.

If businesses continue to streamline, cut jobs, and redirect investments into generating more profit to appease shareholders, hiring new talent will be out of the picture. Hiring any talent will be out of the picture.

It’s a massive mess, and not one that mimics prior employment slow-downs in US history. And while job-seekers are the ones facing the challenges now, everyone will feel the effects of it in the future. Companies can’t continue churning profit if consumers are operating from a scarcity mindset due to lack of jobs and income.

Reduced profit = more layoffs. The problem becomes a negative feedback loop, spiraling downward.

Lowering interest rates could help, but massive messes require innovative solutions.

Policy recommendations, since you asked.

Beyond lowering interest rates, government must address these problems from multiple angles. New angles. Different angles. Creative angles.

While I don’t think anyone in government is reading my substack… yet (though please let me know if you are), if someone in government did ask me what my policy suggestions would be for top-down solutions, these are what I would recommend to get the ball rolling:

Payroll Tax Exemptions for New Positions Created

In the US, employers pay a payroll tax for each employee on their payroll, typically about 7.65% of each employee’s wages (6.2% in Social Security tax and 1.45% in Medicare tax). Social Security caps at $10,453, but Medicare tax has no cap. Employers also pay unemployment insurance taxes that will vary from state to state (which I talked about here). So, if an employer has an employee who makes $60k a year, the employer will pay $4,590 per year in payroll taxes for that employee.

To incentivize employers to create more jobs, one solution could be exempting employer’s from paying payroll taxes on new positions created within the company. In order to make the solution more sustainable, the new hires would be exempt from the payroll tax for two years. Employers would need to demonstrate the validity of the added role/job, and not include just any new hires to backfill positions.

For a new position earning $60k, that would mean the employer would save $9,180 in payroll taxes over two years, not including potential savings from unemployment insurance taxes. Additional incentives could be created for hiring people who are currently receiving unemployment.

While this idea isn’t completely groundbreaking, government is already paying out individuals receiving unemployment. Once the individual is hired, they stop receiving unemployment. Of course, government cost savings in unemployment payments doesn’t immediately translate to money being easily reallocated to Social Security and Medicare to make up for the exemptions - government budgets don’t work quite like that. But, the individual now living off of their income rather than unemployment can become a good tax-paying citizen again, able to contribute back to society and resume their rightful role as a consumer.

The cost savings for an employer creating a new position at $60k might not make the position affordable for the employer, but on the other hand… it could be enough for them to start reinvesting in their workforce, especially with lower interest rates. It could especially help out the small to medium sized employers looking to grow their workforce. Employers love loop holes and tax exemptions.

There would be many details to work out in a policy/program like this (I’m not going to write hundreds of pages of policy implementation right now, sorry), but a policy like this would be worth consideration.

Standards for Job Postings / Protections for Job-Seekers

In the US, we are all aware that we are essentially statistics and numbers to government. In a country of this size (340 million), I don’t expect the government to constantly worry about my wellbeing. Though I wish they did a little, because just a year ago I went through three interviews and an assignment for a local gov position I applied for… just to be told they liked me but that I was under-qualified - BUT that they would still consider me for the position, just at 30k less than originally stated. Ouch.

But, as people who can work, want to work, and have trouble finding it, there could be further protections for job-seekers. There are protections we have fought for through the Labor Movement, but those protections cover current workers/employees. As soon as you lose a job, the only protection you get is six months of welfare.

So, what would it look like if protections were expanded to job-seekers?

There are countless scams out there targeting job-seekers. Fake job postings, data mining, arms-race requirements for entry-level positions, etc. This is where government oversight would come in.

I’m not talking about anything crazy, but what if job postings would get flagged if they required more than 2 years of experience for a position listed as “entry-level”?

I’m not typically first in line to advocate for more government oversight into the private sector (actually that depends), but when it comes to job search engines and boards, there could be restrictions on what companies can label as “entry-level” positions on a job posting.

One suggestion is they must require less than 2 years of experience in the specified field of the role. They could look for equivalent skills or a certain type of certification or schooling obviously, but there would be structure over how a position is listed. It would act similarly to consumer protection laws, but they’d be job-seeker protection laws.

This wouldn’t solve every problem, but it would hold employers accountable to posting jobs transparently. This might not create more sincere entry-level positions, at least not initially, but it would better help inform job-seekers on the positions they’re applying for. Employers would be more careful in how they post jobs and what they’re looking for in a qualified candidates. It would start with transparency, and naturally candidates would begin to gravitate toward (reward) employers who are genuine.

Similar standards could go for other aspects of the job posting, like clearly listing salary *cough cough,* benefits, or task expectations. This would also reduce the risk of turnover for the employer. When expectations are clear, job-seekers can make better informed decisions on the type of job they’re agreeing to.

If government didn’t get involved, this type of policy could be implemented by job boards themselves (bottom-up). Job-seekers could flag postings or employers who break the rule, and multiple flags could lead to employers getting banned from the platform. The incentive for job boards would be that more job-seekers would prefer their platform over others who didn’t have this type of transparency policy in place. If one job board implemented these policies and started generating more traffic than competitors, competition could increase in attracting job-seekers through honest job postings. Transparency would be naturally rewarded by the market (job-seekers).

Being jobless doesn’t make someone worthless. Job-seekers want to find honest jobs without the scams and misinformation.

Being jobless makes people vulnerable and more susceptible to exploitation. The goal for government should be to help people get back on their feet so they can be good, tax-paying citizens again. Dishonest job postings don’t help people get back on their feet. The path to becoming a good, tax-paying citizen again could be expedited if there was more transparency and integrity in the job search.

P.S. If any silicone valley investors want to sponsor my idea for a good honest job board like this, hit me up. I think the 7 million job-seekers would be very interested.

Throwing it at the wall and seeing what sticks.

Here are some other ideas I want to throw out there as potential solutions:

• Limitations on student loans so that people are incentivized to consider other careers paths not requiring degrees - would help balance the workforce and decrease the student debt bubble.

• Grant programs for employers who offer on-the-job training (bonus for employers who don’t require 4-year degrees).

• Turnover insurance for employers who hire people with less experience to protect them in cases of high turnover (this isn’t my favorite idea, but still worth discussion).

• Requirements (or grants) for universities to provide training programs (work semesters maybe?) to enrolled students so that they graduate with two years of relevant experience and a degree (like a trade school, but for universities). That way, universities are held more accountable to actually set their students up for success and not just offer empty promises in the form of a diploma.

• Government subsidies for “first hires.” Similar to the payroll exemptions idea for newly created jobs, but would offer payroll exemptions for hiring people with zero experience, encouraging employers to take risks on less-experienced talent.

• Increased protections or incentives for creating new businesses. Reduce the risk for entrepreneurs so that more people consider starting a business as a viable career option. New businesses = new job creation.

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Parting Thoughts

It’s frustrating navigating a job market that has more job-seekers than jobs available. It’s even more frustrating when our voices fall def on the people and institutions who could create change but don’t.

It’s easy to feel hopeless, but I challenge you to hang onto your hope for a little bit longer. Fill in one more job application. Perseverance wins the race. I’ll follow this post up with actions we can take to buffer ourselves in the storm.

I’m cheering for you, and I’ll keep screaming into the void and challenging the people in power if you keep applying to jobs. 🤝

____________

Please use the comments to voice your thoughts on these policy ideas, share your job search story, or scream into the void with me.

Squint hard enough through the haze of half-off mattress ads (how often are people buying mattresses anyway ?) and the smoke of over-charred hot dogs, and you might just catch it: Labor Day’s original spirit.

Growing up in Oregon, I was never really familiar with how unions functioned or the cultural weight behind union jobs and all they represented. The only people I knew in unions were teachers and nurses. To the modern 2025 American, Labor Day provides another excuse to go camping with hopes that the weather will be better than the last camping trip taken during the long Memorial Day Weekend bookending the first half of summer.

While the midwest might be more familiar with the Labor Movement and the significance of Labor Day, being at the epicenter of the US Industrial Revolution, the true foundation of the holiday and what it stands for often gets overlooked.

Labor Day was not established on common grounds of peace, love, and respect between the working class, Corporate America, and the federal government.

Workers before us fought and were killed trying to achieve the 5-day work week that has become our status quo.

Labor Day Origins

A holiday dedicated to working Americans, giving them one day off, was unthinkable. Until it wasn’t.

In the 1800’s, workers had no rights, and business owners of the leading industries, like the steel and railway companies, wanted to keep it that way.

During the Industrial Revolution, the US was booming with expansion and commerce, and the average American was working 12 hours per day, 7 days a week. Children as young as 5 years old were working in factories and mines, getting paid pennies.

As American manufacturing and industrialization continued to grow, two classes began to form: the business owners, and the working class. The rich and the poor. The US was thriving in its expansion, gaining influence and global power through its manufacturing, while the working class wasn’t allowed one day off in recognition of their contributions.

During this time, trade unions started organizing. The first trade union was formed in 1794 in Philadelphia, the Federal Society of Journeymen Cordwainers (shoemakers). The first national labor federation wasn’t founded until 1866 - the National Labor Union. Through collective bargaining, the unions began demanding better treatment for their workers - organizing strikes and rallies to protest the maltreatment by the corporations and to push for an 8-hour workday, amongst other reforms.

In 1881, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions (the predecessor to the American Federation of Labor - AFL) was created to serve as the labor’s lobbying arm in Washington, as some objectives could only be achieved through state action. The founders of the AFL operated on the notion that through self-organization and the concentration of conscious goals could they have a fight against the industrial complex.

At first, trade unionism was mainly the movement of skilled workers and didn’t have much cross over with the “unskilled” factory workers yet, often excluding people of color and women from their organizations as well. They weren’t fighting the entire system of the industrial complex, they focused on advocating for better treatment and fair wages for themselves within the current system.

One right the labor activists were fighting for was a federally recognized holiday to celebrate American workers. In 1882, Peter J. McGuire of the AFL suggested setting aside a general holiday to celebrate the laboring classes, but history also cites Alderman Matthew Maguire of New Jersey as the author of Labor Day as a holiday. Both men attended the country’s first Labor Day “celebration” in New York City that year on September 5th.

While some sources site this as the first Labor Day parade, other sources note that the parade was really a march of 10,000 workers from City Hall to Union Square, organized by the Central Labor Union. The workers took unpaid time off to march the streets of NYC. It was a celebration for change to come, but that change wouldn’t come until 12 years later, after many fights waged against employers and the federal government.

In 1887, states independently started recognizing their own worker holidays, with Oregon becoming the first state to pass a law recognizing Labor Day, and Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York following closely after.

A federal recognition of Labor Day would not be signed into law until June 28th, 1894, by President Grover Cleveland.

The Haymarket Riot (1886)

Separate from the ideologies of unionism, advocates for general laborers also became prevalent, representing a more inclusive group of people fighting for workers rights and social reform. The Knights of Labor was formed in the mid-1880’s, advocating for more broad social reform to the entire economic order, not just focusing on workplace issues. They were challenging the status quo of the entire owner-worker relationship ecosystem and wanted the industries to be worker-owned and run democratically.

The two labor groups, the unionist and the social reform activists, while later combining into shared efforts, started off as what they saw as rivals to each others missions. This is most starkly captured in the Haymarket Riot.

By the 1880s, strikes by industrial workers were increasingly common, as working conditions were dangerous and wages were low. The Labor Movement included a more radical faction made up of socialists, communists, and anarchists, the social reformers advocating for an entirely new system. Many of these labor “radicals" were German immigrants.

On May 4th, 1886, a rally was organized at the Haymarket Square in Chicago by the labor radicals. This was in protest to the fallout of events from a strike that was held the day before by workers of McCormick Reaper Works, where Chicago police open-fired on the striking workers, killing several of them. As word spread about the killings that night, another group of Chicago anarchists planned an outdoor rally to protest the police brutality. It was to take place at Haymarket Square the next day.

The rally had about 2,000 workers and activists present, with August Spies, a German immigrant anarchist leader, opening the rally with a speech. Chicago Mayor Carter Harrison was even in attendance to ensure peaceful protesting. When policemen arrived at the end of the rally to disperse the crowd, an individual (who was never identified) threw a bomb at them, killing seven officers and at least one civilian.

This was seen as a major set back to the Labor Movement and the progress made by the unionist. A nationwide xenophobia formed against foreign-born radicals and labor organizers, with police in Chicago rounding them up and convicting them on multiple offenses.

You ready for the crazy part?

Eight men were convicted as anarchists and put through, what was a labeled, a controversial trial filled with bias. The judge imposed the death sentence on seven of them, and on November 11, 1887, four of the men were hanged by the government.

Let me repeat that.

The government and judicial system HANGED. FOUR. MEN. Four men, who were fighting for workers rights.

In 1887, the US government was more willing to sentence men to the noose than to compromise on fair wages and treatment of American workers.

I understand that socialism and communism were seen as real threats against the nation at that time, and I’m not justifying throwing bombs at policemen either. But the Haymarket Riot was in protest to the blatant brutality of the Chicago police on striking workers. The workers, the same workers who were building the US from the ground up, and fighting for workers rights, were open-fired on. Activists standing up against this treatment were hanged.

The 5-day work week we value now came at a high price.

After the Haymarket Riot, socialists and labor organizers in countries around the world began celebrating May 1st as Workers Day. A federally-recognized Labor Day would still take another eight years to pass in Congress.

The Homestead Strike (1892)

The next major event in the fight for workers rights occurred in 1892 in Homestead, Pennsylvania.

Skilled workers at the steel mills in Homestead, PA had bargained exceptionally good wages and work rules for themselves, through the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers. Management of the Homestead mills became set on lowering production costs through breaking the union and lowering wages.

Andrew Carnegie, owner of the steel mills, well-known industrialist, and now-labeled “philanthropist,” and his partner Henry Frick, were making record-breaking profits. But, of course, their greed remained un-satiated (as what happens when the love of money reveals true character), and they decided to cut wages during the next union contract negotiations, which were coming to the end of their 3-year contract. Rather than negotiate, they issued ultimatums - knowing it would provoke a strike.

The union organized 8-hour shifts for picketing and protesting the actions of management. Anticipating the unrest, Frick hired the notorious Pinkerton National Detective Agency. Pinkerton was known for infiltrating unions and breaking strikes, with its workforce that was larger than the entire US Army. When the groups collided, gunfire broke out, and during the chaos the Pinkerton employees had to surrender. This left seven workers and three Pinkerton employees dead.

Four days later, the National Guard sent 8,500 forces to control the town and steel mill, per the request of Frick. By the end of the year, the Amalgamated Association had collapsed, and the workers in Homestead saw their wages shrink by one-fifth and their shifts increased from eight hours to 12.

Seven workers DIED pushing back against the wage cuts, and the US government came in to the aid of management to stifle workers and maintain status quo.

The Pullman Strikes (1894)

Unrest continued to grow among American workers and unions continued pushing for increased workers rights. This led to the Pullman Railway Strikes.

In 1893, during a nationwide economic recession, George Pullman of the Pullman Palace Car Company in Chicago reduced worker wages, laid off hundreds of workers, and fired union representatives. He also owned much of the property and commercial buildings in Pullman, Illinois where many of the workers lived, and he refused to lower rent or store prices.

On May 11, 1894, employees of the Pullman Palace Car Company walked out and went on strike to protest these actions. The following month, the American Railway Union (ARU) declared a sympathy boycott of all trains using Pullman cars, in solidarity with the strikers.

The Pullman Strike halted commerce and rail traffic in 27 states. Overwhelmed by the collective action of the strikers and the power they exercised over US commerce, the management group representing Chicago’s railroad companies sought out help from… you guessed it - the federal government.

On June 29, 1894, during a protest speech, crowd members set nearby buildings on fire and derailed a locomotive attached to a US mail train. On July 6th, the US Attorney General used the incident to ask for an injunction (a court order compelling a party, in this case the unionists, to either do or refrain from doing a specific act, like striking), and the next day, President Cleveland dispatched federal troops to the city of Chicago to enforce the injunction. This outraged Illinois Governor John Peter Altgeld, who wanted to prevent violence and deemed the government’s actions as unconstitutional (sounds familiar, doesn’t it…).

On cue, the Pullman Strike turned violent with the arrival of the troops. Rioters destroyed hundreds of railroad cars on July 6th, and the National Guardsmen fired into a mob on July 7th, killing 30+ people. The troops weren’t recalled until July 20th.

While the railroad workers were actively striking, Congress passed legislation in June of that year, 1894, to make Labor Day a federal legal holiday to recognize and celebrate laborers. President Cleveland signed the bill into law on June 28th - and deployed the federal troops on Chicago four days later.

It wasn’t until 1935 that the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) was signed into law, protecting the rights of most private-sector employees to organize into unions, bargain collectively with employers, and engage in other protect concerted activities. This is the act that governs most labor laws in the US to this day.

It’s… overwhelming. Looking at the history of workers rights and what activists had to sacrifice and fight for in order for us to enjoy our 8-hour work days and send kids to schools rather than the mines.

We take for granted the privileges we have as modern-day workers.

The US labor system is still far from perfect. Reflecting on the Labor Movement and the prices paid by activists before us paints a grim picture for what it’ll take to continue pushing for organizational worker reform.

I have many other thoughts on what policy (top-down) and grass-root (bottom-up), non-violent reforms could look like to ensure fair worker treatment and wages, but I’ll save those for later essays. For now, I want to bring awareness to the efforts made by Americans and global activists who came before us and to start an open conversation around labor activism.

Change doesn’t happen over night. Or without a price.

Remember - our government preferred killing people over passing laws to hold companies accountable to fair treatment of their employees. Commerce had to stop in 27 states before real problem-solving began.

Let that settle for a minute.

…

This Labor Day Weekend, amidst all the mattress shopping and hot dog grilling, I hope you take a moment to appreciate the wins Labor Day represents and to consider what challenges lie ahead for the American, and global, workforce.

Sincerely,

Grace

Sources

History of Labor Day - U.S. Department of Labor

Why do we celebrate Labor Day on the first Monday in September? - KHOU 11 (2024)

Labor Day 2025 - History.com (Aug 11, 2025)

Haymarket Riot - History.com (May 28, 2025)

The Deadly Railroad Strike That Led to the Labor Day Holiday - History.com (Aug 8, 2025)

The Labor Movement - History.com (May 28, 2025)

1892 Homestead Strike - AFL-CIO

US Workforce Trends 💼

Job-changers experiencing higher payoffs than job-stayers

In July, ADP Research reported that job-stayers gained a 4.4% increase in salary year-over-year (July 2024-July 2025) and job-changers experienced a 7% increase in salary.

This aligns with another trend I’ve noticed - the elimination of entry-level positions. Many companies take a “poaching” approach to staffing—offering no entry-level roles, little chance for advancement, and minimal training. Instead, they hire workers from other companies that did provide entry-level opportunities and invest in development. Then they offer the poached employee a 7% pay increase from what they were making before.

You can’t blame people for following the money, we all operate in our own best interests in the workforce. But this model of poaching, as entry-level jobs become harder to find, is unsustainable. It’s like a collapsing bridge, with management destroying the path behind them by eliminating entry-level positions and replacing them with technology or outsourcing.

There’s more to dissect here, so keep an eye out for a piece I’m working that will deep dive into the current and future state of entry-level positions.

Do as I say, not as (A)I do

The popular HR hiring platform Workday is facing a collective action lawsuit in California for the use of its AI-based applicant recommendation software. ✨Allegedly✨ the software negatively affected candidates aged 40 and up in the hiring process. Now the lawsuit is asking Workday to provide a list of all the customers who enabled the AI feature - HiredScore.

It’s concerning that so many companies and platforms are using AI to sort their candidates, especially when it’s a well-known problem that AI can be biased because of the data it’s trained on. Ageism is rampant in hiring, so it is not hard to connect that AI is trained on ageist data. I understand needing to use tools to help sort through applicant pools that are 100+, but the results should be audited.

In New York, AI use in hiring has been restricted and results need to be audited, and candidates must be notified of the use of it. This seems like a good model other states could adopt. Just let the candidates know!

On the other hand, employers are also seeing a significant increase in AI-generated job applications. Resume tailoring has become easier with tools like ChatGPT, especially as applicants recognize the value of weaving key job description terms into their resumes. Applying for jobs has started to feel like a rigged game, and now some employers are becoming frustrated that applicants are using tools to boost their chances. Recruiters say many applications are beginning to look alike, making it difficult for them to assess individual candidates.

Is anyone surprised we’ve reached this point? Employers have become stringent in how they filter and hire applicants, so job seekers adapted. Employers are using AI to filter applications, and applicants are using AI to fill out job applications. Some companies, like Anthropic - an AI tech company, are discouraging applicants from using large language models (LLMs) to help with their application materials. They think they want authenticity, but their own AI applicant software will likely pick the candidates who used AI anyway. Like calls to like ✨

Ohhhhhh, the irony.

If I were an employer, I would ask applicants to hand deliver their applications, then you’d really learn who wants the job.

Job numbers lower than originally reported

If you missed it, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released updated numbers for prior data they had released, and it does not look good. Originally, new job openings for May and June were reported at 125,000 and 147,000 respectively, but revisions now show that only 19,000 and 14,000 jobs were added. 73,000 jobs were added in July, but we’ll learn next month if those numbers are lower now too.

Hiring typically slows in the summer months, with fall demonstrating an uptick in hiring, so we’ll see if these trends continue into the fall months. People are owing the slow down in job creation to the chaotic trade-policy negotiations. Job creation has been slowing down since 2022, but these numbers are new lows. Trump fired the head of the BLS because of the revised job numbers, saying they were politically skewed. Tough job market to get fired in…

If you or someone you know has been facing difficulty job hunting, consider sharing New Ropes with them!

Refer a friend

🔦Career Spotlight🔦

Registered Nurse (RN) Practitioners

This role is expected to grow by 46% between 2023 and 2033. The healthcare industry is experiencing a major worker shortage, due to an aging population and retiring workforce, and nurses are at the top of their demands. Though it is challenging work, this career path offers job stability, work environment flexibility, and deep meaning through positively impacting patient’s lives.

Becoming a Registered Nurse: You will need to complete an accredited nursing program, either an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), pass the NCLEX-RN exam, and obtain state licensure. While obtaining a BSN will offer higher earnings and more career paths, both degrees will help you begin your career as an RN.

Global Scope 🌍

Women’s sports are on the up 📈

Women’s football (⚽️) is booming globally, and nearly all women’s sports are beginning to see money flow in as interest grows in them. Forecasts are even predicting that revenue from women’s professional sports will jump to $2.4bn in 2025, from $695m in 2022.

FIFA is aiming to double the number of women playing organized football around the world to 60m by 2027, and the International Cricket Council is hoping to bring in 250m incremental fans to the women’s game through its new campaign. The pay gap between male and female athletes is still stark (men’s football’s biggest earner making $232m in 2024; women’s biggest earner making about $1m), but with increased interest and investments in women’s sports, we’re beginning to see this gap close, ever so slowly.

Work Wins, Woes, & Whoas

Work Wins 🏆

Not all companies look to poach their talent, some value building up their talented workforce, and companies like Guild are helping them do it. Guild is a firm which primarily serves larger companies and offers resources for up-skilling and education. Through them, companies can provide their employees opportunities for leadership training, credentialed education, and other perks. Offering opportunities like these to employees leads to better recruitment, retention, and internal mobility.

Many companies are opting into competitive models that prioritize employee wellbeing and retention efforts. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, nearly half of public and private employers have a tuition reimbursement program for employees, and about 8% of employers offer help paying off student loans. These programs are not always easy to find out about, so make sure to check with your current employer’s HR rep to see what they might offer.

Additionally, on August 11th the US Dept. of Labor announced the availability of $30M in grant funding to accelerate innovation and address workforce needs. The grants will provide outcome-based reimbursements to employers for providing training and up-skilling in high-demand and emerging industries, such as AI infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, nuclear energy, domestic mineral production, and information technology.

Yay for workforce investments!

Work Woes 📉

Consulting firms are beginning to feel the heat of shifting markets. Over 2,800 government contracts were canceled with consulting firms, as of June, by DOGE and the GSA, in order to cut federal spending. And while firms are hoping to offer consulting services to companies to help with AI integration, many companies are implementing AI on their own to provide analyses rather than turning to consultants.

The loss of government work and the integration of AI by clients (and internally) have lead to firm downsizing. Consulting firms like McKinsey, Deloitte, and Booz Allen are beginning to announce or initiate layoffs. It’s tough to tell what consulting will look like 10 years from now. It definitely won’t die, but it will need to make fundamental changes.

Work Whoas 🚨

Companies are beginning to pull back on their earlier enthusiasm about hybrid/remote work, and employees are not happy. Some big names like Amazon, Apple, Goldman Sachs, and Google, amongst many others, are rolling out new "Return to Office” (RTO) policies, requiring anywhere from 3-5 days in office per week. They do this in the name of collaboration and company culture, but it could be more hurtful than helpful.

Gallup data from 2024 shows that workers who worked in-office when they could perform the work remotely have shown the steepest drop in workplace engagement. Data from an Owl Lab survey reported that 66% of people surveyed are actively looking for new roles due to RTO policies. And so the battle continues.

Personal Developments 🌱

🎧What I’m listening to: The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett - This popular podcast series focuses on sharing the stories of the world’s most fascinating CEOs, experts, therapists, and leaders. I love combing through and finding episodes about people or industries I’m interested in.

📚 What I’m reading: Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn’t, and Why It Matters by Steven E. Koonin - I saw this book recommended online by former climate activist professionals who had left the industry, and I had to read it for myself. I have not finished it yet, but it has been captivating and challenging of assumptions, especially with all the competing science we hear thrown around in the media.

🍿 What I’m snacking on: GroundUp Nut Butters, founded in Portland in 2016, makes delicious nut butters while offering women overcoming adversity a second chance at employment. Through their sales, they offer a 6–9 month training program that builds job skills and confidence.

I love how this not-just-for-profit model blends business success with community impact—proving profit and purpose can go hand in hand. Everyone deserves a chance to work, regardless of their past.

Shop GroundUp Nut Butters

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In Case You Missed It ⤵️

At the beginning of August I started a video series on my other media channels called “If I got laid off tomorrow…” where every day for the month of August I’m sharing low-barrier, but high-potential careers people should consider if they’ve been laid off. Click any of the links below to check out the series:

Youtube - TikTok - Instagram

So, I heard you were laid off.

1. I’m so sorry to hear that, I understand how stressful that is.

2. Time to lock in and take action!

Whether you were just laid off, have been unemployed for a few months, or are worried you might get laid off, this is for you.

I started a video series on my other media channels called “If I got laid off tomorrow…” where every day for the month of August I’m sharing low-barrier, but high-potential careers people should consider if they’ve been laid off - and I did not expect it to get as much attention as it has.

If you want to check out the video series for yourself, click any of the links below:

Youtube - TikTok - Instagram

One of my videos on TikTok seems to have found a spot on the internet for everyone who was just laid off, filling my comments with excitement for the series and the timing of it.

It broke my heart to read all the layoff stories, so I created a guide for navigating the layoffs.

You’re not alone.

It’s not your fault.

But it is your responsibility to figure out what you want to do next. So, let’s get into it!

What You Need to Know About Unemployment Benefits

If you think you might be laid off, DO NOT QUIT.

Recently, I talked with someone who told me that they were worried about their company doing lay-offs, so they decided to quit instead before they could get laid off. Since the action was already done, I didn’t want make the situation worse by telling them they couldn’t qualify for unemployment benefits now, so I kept quiet. But, DO NOT DO THIS.

If you voluntarily quit your job, you become exempt from receiving unemployment benefits.

Every business/entity with employees on their payroll pays into unemployment to the government (it’s where the unemployment funds come from, similar structure to insurance). This is because of the Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) and the State Unemployment Tax Act (SUTA). Unemployment was created as a safety net for people who have lost work through no fault of their own.

When a business has to lay off employees, they typically need to pay extra taxes for the unemployment benefits being used by the former employees. Every time someone files for unemployment through their state agency, the state contacts the employer who laid them off and verifies the claim. Every time you file a claim, your former employer receives another notice.

When a former employer receives the claim, they’re given the opportunity to verify or contest it. If you voluntarily quit your job or get fired for cause, your former employer will contest the claim, and you won’t receive unemployment benefits. Essentially, the government doesn’t want to reward people for deciding they don’t want to work anymore.

I used to work in HR/payroll for a small business, and at least once a month I had to contest former employees’ unemployment claims. All of them had quit voluntarily and then tried to claim unemployment benefits. Luckily for the business, upon their resignations, we always asked for a formal letter of resignation. The reason why employers always ask for a formal letter of resignation if you are quitting is so they can contest any unemployment claims you may make following that. I would upload their letter, put in some notes about their voluntary departure, and then the claim would be denied.

If you want to receive unemployment benefits, then do not quit voluntarily. Wait it out until the layoff, then apply for your unemployment benefits. As a precaution, ask your employer for a formal written notice of the layoff, in the chance you need to authenticate it if they try to deny the claim.

You’ve got 6 months

If you’ve been laid off, the first thing you should do is apply for unemployment benefits. The second thing you should do is apply for SNAP benefits. Free money, right?

Apply for Unemployment benefits here.

Apply for SNAP benefits here.

The amount you’ll receive in benefits will vary by state and individual circumstances, but people can typically receive anywhere from $300-$800 a week while looking for employment.

In order to receive your weekly stipend, you’ll have to demonstrate that you are actively looking for new employment. They’ll ask you to verify what kind of job hunting you’ve been conducting and what jobs you’ve applied for.

You’ll be eligible to receive benefits for up to 6 months. Do not waste this time.

I’ve worked with people before who treated unemployment like a little vacation (no judgement, I get it) and then began looking for work around month 5 or 6. I recently wrote about what to expect from the job market in 2025, but one thing important to note is that it is taking people on average 3-8 months to find employment, with many taking even longer. The job market is dry right now (employers market, not an employees market), and you need to take all the time you can get to land that next job. Don’t wait until the end of your benefits to start job hunting, because your benefits will run out after 6 months and you may still be searching for work.

Of course, going through a lay-off is very difficult and you’ll need time to adjust. It’s okay to take time for yourself, focus on self-care, and catch up on things you need to. The important thing is to understand the timeline and what kind of job market you’re entering.

What to do for the 6 months

If the industry you were working in is seeing a reduction in workforce across the entire industry, it might be a good time to find a new line of work and learn new skills. There are lots of jobs that are still growing in demand, and many require only 3-6 months of training or schooling.

Job hunting has rapidly changed in the past few years. If you haven’t had to look for employment in a while, then I would recommend checking out my recent post about job hunting in 2025. In it, I offer advice, tips, and resources for job-seekers.

If you’re looking to enter a new industry, learn new skills, and challenge yourself, below is a list of some free and/or cheap learning resources to check out. Your local community college will also offer 9-24 month certificate/degree programs and other options for skills-based learning and employment.

Hint: Community colleges are one of the best resources to utilize. They typically have career centers to help people figure out what they want to do, resources for returning to school, childcare, and more. I’m a big fan of community college. I received my associates degree from my local one and had a great experience.

Continued Education/Certificate/Course Work Resources:

• MITOpenCourseWare

• Open Yale Courses

• Coursera

• Udemy

• Hillsdale

• Khan Academy

• US Career Institute

• Alison - Empower Yourself

• edX

• Saylor Academy

• Free Code Camp

• Pharmuni

Next Steps

Severance

When going through layoffs, it’s important to ask your employer about severance. Severance is a package of benefits some employers can offer laid-off employees that can include a lump-sum pay, continuation of benefits, or even career counseling. What you receive in your severance package can also be negotiated.

Here’s a little guide I found on how to negotiate severance.

Health Insurance

One of the hardest parts about being laid off is often the loss of employer-provided healthcare, especially with health care price inflation outpacing the overall CPI index.

If your employer provided your health insurance, they have to offer you COBRA upon separation. COBRA guarantees an extension of coverage through your employer plan if you opt in, but it can be expensive as the cost of the entire deductible falls on the laid-off employee, unless negotiated as a part of severance.

When you lose coverage, you have 60 days to enroll in a plan through the Healthcare Marketplace.

Anyone can enroll in a plan during the Open Enrollment Period (Nov 1st-Jan 15th), but if you experience a qualifying life-event (lose your job-based health insurance) it will trigger a Special Enrollment Period where you can shop for a new plan. You may also qualify for Medicaid, depending on your circumstances.

Resume Revamp

Now’s the perfect time to freshen up your resume and update your experience and skills. I recommend keeping a “master resume” that contains all of your work history and experience on one document (along with contacts and references), but then having a refined resume for job applications. Try to capture any metrics from your job that best demonstrate your abilities, i.e. how much money you managed, caseload number, efficiencies you improved due to innovation, etc.

Many employers are moving towards skills-based hiring over experience-based, so try to demonstrate the skills learned and used in your written work experience. If you list a skill you have, ensure it’s demonstrated in your experience or portfolio.

Refer a friend

Leave on a good note

No matter the circumstances, leaving your place of employment on a professional note can lead to beneficial outcomes in the future. Employers will ask for references during the hiring process, and these references can be your colleagues or supervisors. While unanticipated separations from a workplace can get messy, maintaining good relationships with the people you worked with will provide better outcomes in the long run.

This is also how you develop your network. You never know if a former colleague could land an amazing next job and put in a good word for you. If you work in a tight-knit industry, word can spread quickly about behavior, good or bad - this could directly impact the outcome of your next job prospect. Keeping things professional, if just for the sake of your ongoing career, will be critical.

Work doesn’t only offer the security of income, it also provides us a place of belonging, identity, and value.

Because of this, being laid off can be painful. It quickly dissolves the outlook you had for your future and disrupts plans.

Luckily, your worth is not defined by your employment status. Whatever situation you’re in, there’s a way out, and you’ll find it. Keep your head up, continue applying, and know good things are heading your way. I’m rooting for you!

Happy job hunting.

You can find New Basin Distilling Company at:

• 📍 2063 NW Andrews Drive Madras, OR 97741, USA

• New Basin Distilling Company

• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/newbasindistilling/

• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/NewBasinDistilling

US Workforce Trends 💼

The negative feedback loop of unemployment

Every month, unemployment numbers get released. Something that caught my eye this month was the number of long-term unemployed - people who have been jobless for 27 weeks or more. In June, the number of long-term unemployed people increased by 190,000, bringing the total to 1.6 million. This accounts for 23.3% of all unemployed people. For comparison, long-term only made up 20.8% in January 2024.

While the regular unemployment rate has remained consistently between 4-4.2% for over a year now, what the rise of long-term unemployed people demonstrates is the difficulty of re-entering the workforce after not being employed for a significant period. It’s a negative feedback loop where the longer it takes to find employment, the longer it will take to find employment. It’s a horrible situation.

Another figure which stood out to me was the number of “discouraged workers” (people who believe that no jobs were available for them 😢) increased by 256,000 in June, bringing the total to 637,000. These numbers are not included in unemployment numbers because they have not looked for a job within the past 4 weeks.

I hear everyday about how discouraging it is looking for work, especially for people who were established in their career. Finding work looks very different than how it was done even a few years ago, which is exactly why I started New Ropes! There are some incentives for employers to hire people who have been unemployed long-term, like the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC). Employers can receive $2,400–$9,600 per hire, depending on the employer’s group and the type of position hired for, but I think it’s evident this tax credit is not being effective and could use some reform.

Government jobs on the rise

On the bright side, in June, the total non-farm payroll (new jobs that were added, not in farming industries) increased by 147,000. The most job gains were experienced in state government, local government, and health care. Federal government continues to experience job loss (noooooooo, really?), but if you’re interested in non-federal government jobs you can check out - governmentjobs.com

The missing 1%

For June, the labor force participation (LFP) rate, which measures the population aged 16 or older either employed or seeking employment, was 62.3%. The LFP has yet to recover to its pre-pandemic level of 63.3%. 1% may not seem like much of a difference, but we’re talking about over a million people here who are no longer working or looking for work. It’s interesting to think about where that 1% went and how they’re doing - especially as some sectors continue to experience job vacancies and face ever-growing workforce shortages.

If you or someone you know has been facing difficulty job hunting, consider sharing New Ropes with them!

Refer a friend

🔦Career Spotlight🔦

Financial Analyst

This role is expected to grow by 7.6% between 2022 and 2032. While many consulting firms have been going through layoffs, the finance sector has continued growing and hiring in 2025, specifically companies like Goldman Sachs and many banks. Hot spots for these roles are located in CA, TX, and NY.

Becoming a Financial Analyst: Most financial analyst roles will ask for a BA in Accounting, Finance, or Economics and will require strong analytical skills, familiarity with tech/AI, efficiency in financial software. It’s best to look for internships and entry level positions while still in undergrad to secure early experience to continue building on throughout your career.

Global Scope 🌍

Outsourcing in Africa

Entrepreneurs are starting to look to new continents for business-process outsourcing (BPO), and Africa is capturing much of their attention. As tech companies and the need for workers to train algorithms continues to grow, much of the work is expected to be outsourced to Africa. Kenya in particular is expected to see 19% growth in the BPO industry between 2023-2028. Other countries on the continent are quickly adopting Kenya’s model in creating generous tax breaks and incentives for tech companies to relocate operations there. This is good news for Africans, as 3/4s of young Africans report not finding adequate work, according to the Economist.

Work Wins, Woes, & Whoas

Work Wins 🏆

I got a tip from a friend that I should visit this coffee shop in Milwaukie, Oregon called Keeper Coffee. One thing that makes this place stand out, besides the immaculate vibes and amazing drinks, is a little note they have at the bottom of their menu:

No tip option on the tablet. Just good, honest coffee (prices were comparable to any other coffee shop around) and equitable wages for their employees! It’s encouraging to see service-based businesses leaning away from the tipping model and into paying their employees livable wages. I hope to see more restaurants and coffee shops following suit. Cheers!

Work Woes 📉

Due to spending cuts, amongst other problems, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is reducing the number of indicators they measure to capture the CPI (Consumer Price Index) and PPI (Producer Price Index). Commonly referred to as the dreaded inflation, the CPI demonstrates the changes in pricing for different commodities across the US, or, at least, it did.

The BLS uses enumerators (someone who collects data for the government, which I think sounds like a pretty neat job) to go out into communities and collect prices for things like housing, food, gasoline, insurance, and other metrics. For the PPI, they’ll measure things like the costs of raw materials and goods. The BLS has stated that their current resources can no longer support their collection efforts, leading to certain regions no longer being surveyed, such as Provo, Utah and Buffalo, New York.

BLS statistics have significant influence on important decision makers. They’re used in the Federal Reserve’s decision making regarding interest rates. Most employers determine yearly promotions and salary increases on them, often labeled as “cost of living” increases. They’re also used to calculate payouts for social security benefits.

These changes to the CPI are worrisome because it’ll make economic data a bit more unreliable and not capture the full experience of consumers in the economy. The CPI was already a shaky indicator for measuring economic health and livability. Now, with the index losing more reliability, the gap between “livable wages” and the actual cost of living where you work could widen.

And, in case you were wondering, the CPI for all urban consumers increased by .3% in June, making the year over year (YoY) CPI increase 2.9%. “Shelter” aka housing was up 3.8% YoY. Ooof.

Work Whoas 🚨

The job-search engines Indeed and Glassdoor (which apparently are owned by the same Japanese company Recruit Holdings, but will be combined into one platform now anyway - Indeed) are laying off roughly 1,300 jobs and replacing the roles with AI. The cuts are targeting the “research and development” and “people & sustainability” teams in the US. They are making these moves in an effort to simplify hiring, using AI to reduce manual work.

Ohhhhhh, the irony.

This is disappointing to hear, but also not surprising, as layoffs due to AI integration continue to increase. If the quality of the Indeed platform starts to mirror the downfall of Spotify’s, then I’m going to be real upset.

Personal Development 🌱

🎧What I’m listening to: The Mel Robbins Podcast - The Most Important Career Advice You’ll Ever Hear with Harvard Business School’s #1 Professor - Okay, typically the click-baity titles like this are off-putting to me, but I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this podcast and found the conversation around overcoming anxiety, learning to negotiate, and how to interview very insightful.

📚 What I’m reading: “Pass the Polenta” by Teresa Lust - During the summer, I don’t like to do a lot of heavy reading and prefer to keep my reading lighter and fun. In this collection of essays by former professional chef and food historian Teresa Lust, she shares history, kitchen tips, recipes, and lessons she’s learned throughout her career. I absolutely loved this book and would recommend it to any aspiring chefs or food lovers.

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Up Next ⤵️

In June, I launched my new video series titled “Learning the Ropes” where I explore different careers and industries with experts in the field. If you missed my first video, you can find it here, where I joined my friend Eric Taylor in his at-home studio to learn about his career as a music producer!

This month, I’ll be sharing my second episode where we’ll be learning all about the whiskey distilling business!

If you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss it. You can also find all episodes on my Youtube channel.

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Classification whiplash

I have a friend who is a therapist. She works for a group practice as an independent contractor. Before she was a contractor, she was working for the same group practice, but as an employee. Before she was one of their employees, she was an independent contractor… for the same group practice. She’s had a bumpy ride and was sharing her grievances with me.

Nuances in the working world, like the difference between being an independent contractor vs a regular employee, were never discussed in our college courses. Some people are very familiar with the topic, especially those who’ve worked in manufacturing, driving and logistics, manual labor jobs, but many of us were never told how to navigate this sphere or what to look for when finding a job.

So let’s get into it - what does it mean to be a contract worker or a regular employee? And why are some companies so shady about these classifications?

There are many reasons why a company might want to classify a worker as a contractor rather than an employee. The work performed might not be needed for the company all year round. The company may want to avoid liability or reduce their payroll costs. In the case with my therapist friend, she gets paid like if she was an employee, but she has to set aside income for her own taxes, doesn’t receive the same support employees do, and she doesn’t accrue anything like PTO or sick days. If she’s sick and has to miss a client - no pay.

Spot the difference

Last week, I touched on the idea that people who are experiencing layoffs from companies could go into contracting for similar services that they were providing their previous employer. As a contractor, you have control over who you work for, what hours you agree to, and what services you offer. You’re essentially your own boss and responsible for your own success.

The downside? You don’t get reimbursed for costs you accrue (unless negotiated in a contract), you don’t get paid for hours you don’t work (PTO, holidays, OT), and you don’t receive the same protections regular W-2 employees get, like unemployment benefits if laid off.

Here’s a table to break it down:

To determine whether someone is truly an independent contractor or a regular employee, the IRS uses a “common law test” which focuses on the level of control or independence a worker has in 3 areas: behavior control, financial control, and type of relationship. If an employer exerts too much control, then the worker is likely a W-2 employee. Many of these controls are determined at the federal level under the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), but many states also implement their own rules around worker classification.

In 2024, under the Biden administration, the DOL issued a final rule under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) that would force companies to treat some workers as employees rather than independent contractors, ruffling many feathers in the business world. The rule would require workers to be considered employees if they were “economically dependent” on the company they work for. The rule also adopted a standard which looks at several factors including the level of control companies exercise over the workers and if the work being performed is an integral part of the company’s business.

As of May 1, 2025, the Trump administration has rolled back that ruling and the DOL will return to determining employment classification based on a framework set by the FLSA in 2008. The impact of this new ruling is limited though, and time will tell how it gets implemented. Many states have their own independent contractor tests which expand on the fed’s and impose higher burdens on employers. Additionally, the DOL’s recent guidance is a temporary measure to be used until they develop what they deem as an appropriate independent contractor standard.

Employers will be watching closely to see how the standard will evolve / be implemented under the current administration, as new developments could mean big changes for employers familiar with (mis)classifying employees as independent contractors. Those in careers that are often contracted for work should also keep an eye on these changes and follow state rulings closely.

The Biden administration ruling was seen as employee-friendly and received a lot of pushback, especially from the right, because of the costs it would impose on employers. Keeping an employee on payroll (W-2) can typically cost a company 30% more than if they hired the worker as an independent contractor. As an employee, a company has to pay for unemployment insurance for them, health insurance, PTO, equipment reimbursements, etc. which can add up, leading companies to find work-arounds and loop-holes.

Things get murky when employers purposely misclassify workers as independent contractors instead of W-2 employees to skirt around spending and to save costs.

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Still not employees, but not not employees either

The employer-contractor relationship is beginning to be reshaped, thanks to Uber and Lyft drivers in Massachusetts.

Last year, Uber and Lyft reached a $175 million settlement in Massachusetts for a class-action lawsuit brought against them by their drivers. In the suit, drivers were challenging their status as independent contract drivers for the companies, stating that they fall more under the category of employee - meaning the companies would need to change their relationship with the drivers significantly and offer more protections and benefits.

The case was brought against the companies in 2020 and was settled in 2024. Of course, like any case brought against large, influential companies with power and money, the case ended in a settlement, leaving alone the classification of the drivers as independent contractors. Based on the common law tests we mentioned previously, there was difficulty establishing independent contractor status, so they settled.

The prosecuting firm representing the drivers also withdrew their support for an independent-contractor ballot measure for the state. Shocking, I know.

While reclassifying the drivers as employees would have had major implications for all contract workers and had impacted all industries and the way workers are classified, the drivers didn’t walk away with nothing.

While still maintaining the contractor status, Uber and Lyft are now required to provide their drivers:

• Guaranteed $33.48/hour for engaged (driving) time as of January 2025

• Transparency to see the type of trip before accepting it (I guess they couldn’t before?)

• Accrual of paid sick leave - 1hr per 30 driving, up to 40 hrs/yr

• Accident insurance

• Stipend for Paid Family & Medical Leave and health insurance

• Better in-app support

• + $175 million paid out to drivers.

Not bad at all. A similar lawsuit was filed in California in 2013-2022 which settled at $20 million and did not win the drivers the same benefits.

The downside of a settlement is that the outcome of the case does not necessitate any changes to be made by any companies in similar circumstances. There is no court mandate to improve the benefits for all contractors, let alone impact them in other states.

What has been accomplished though is a new precedence has been set for what an employer-contractor relationship can look like. Drivers in other states could file similar class-action lawsuits against the companies, demanding similar respects and benefits, with a higher chance of success.

But for now, the benefits will be reaped by Massachusetts drivers. Congrats!

Why this matters

So, what does this mean for everyone else?

Well, the settlement could have ripple effects in paving the way for a more middle path between full employee status and independent contracting. Outside of just contract drivers, independent contractors could begin to pressure gig platforms to also offer earnings floors, paid sick leave, and benefits without requiring full employment classification. Other states can look at the way the case in Massachusetts ended and follow the same path to demanding better rights for independent contractors, before potentially facing similar lawsuits or legislation changes.

While there are pros to being an independent contractor like we discussed, there are also ways people can be exploited in their work and be taken advantage of, similar to my therapist friend’s story. Lines can get pretty blurry between what the real differences are between a regular employee and a contractor, besides just how the individual is classified.

Instances like these are common for therapists and many other careers. Class-action lawsuits, like the one brought against Uber and Lyft, could impact the flexibility companies have in classifying and reclassifying workers whenever it suits them best.

It will vary from state to state, but we’ve seen other lawsuits surfacing for similar reasons, especially in California (also shocking, I know). Lawsuits aren’t only coming from the workers, companies are being prosecuted by government institutions as well, accountability being demanded on all sides. San Francisco sued a delivery company for misclassifying their drivers as contractors. Companies are suing each other for misclassifying employees as independent contractors so they can pay them less and gain a competitive advantage.

The topic around worker classification is growing exponentially, and personally, I’m excited to see more light shown on the topic. I’m always a fan of large, powerful companies being challenged and held accountable for not compensating their employees. Actually, I’m a fan of any company/industry being held accountable for not compensating their employees.

Of course, not all independent contractors are taken advantage of - there are perfectly good reasons a company will hire contractors, and it works well for many situations. I currently contract out my services - I prefer being my own boss.

What is important to notice is when the lines get blurred and why - the reasons behind why a company classifies workers a certain way and the role the worker has in the company. (Mis)classification is important to pay attention to, especially if you’re an independent contractor.

Employers want to have their cake and eat it too, but maybe the tides are starting to change…

If you have personal experience navigating this issue or have thoughts on the topic, please leave them in the comments below, I would love to hear from you.

Tech Bros walked so AI could run

I know, AI is scary. It’s becoming self-actualized, it’s recoding itself so it can’t be shut off, eventually the robots will kill off humanity, but first - it’s coming for your job.

So much of our identity corresponds with what we do, especially here in the U.S. What we do, aka our job, consists of a grouping of tasks that must be completed. You package together certain tasks, and BOOM - you have a job. You get paid to do said job.

I’m all for finding purpose in these tasks, but from an economic perspective, a job is just a grouping of tasks that need to be done and which someone is willing to pay you to do. There are certain skills needed to perform certain tasks for the job. That’s why we go to school and learn from others - we need the skills necessary to perform the tasks associated with the job we’re trying to do. Some skills you learn on the job (OJT - on the job training), from university, some you learn from time and experience, others from trade schools, etc.

Now you bring in AI. AI is good at automating certain things, compiling and organizing information, following rules, researching, etc. There are certain skills AI has that makes it suitable for performing certain tasks… and some of these skills may be skills that you are also good at. Uh oh. TIME TO PANIC. Competitionnnnnnn.

I’m kidding, don’t panic. It is true though. The ironic part is that many tech companies are starting to reduce their workforces and essentially Silicone Valley has worked itself out of jobs. The tech bros walked so AI could run, and now that they’re being replaced by their own inventions things are getting competitive.

While it is intimidating, this is not the first time technological advances have made specific tasks and skills irrelevant. AI is making certain jobs more efficient. It’s faster at compiling information and data than you are. It can spot trends before you’ve even noticed. But that doesn’t mean it’s coming for your job. It’s coming for a specific set of tasks that were previously performed by humans but can now be performed by computers. Some jobs compile more of these skills than others. You might have one of these jobs.

Here’s the thing - It’s not personal. You are more than a set of skills and tasks. As much as I believe there’s meaning behind work, I also deeply believe working is a means, not an end. There are jobs that are disappearing, but there are also incredible amounts of opportunity still and new skills to be learned, you just need to look in the right places.

Not all the jobs are disappearing

AI is not coming for all jobs, and it is also not the only culprit to blame for “disappearing jobs.” There are other trends across the economy that are impacting job availability and wage growth, including private equity, university acceptance rates, job outsourcing and off-shoring, and many other political and economic reasons that I won’t get into entirely. My point is - its not just AI. But AI is a big player.

I read an article in February asking where all the effing jobs are. Read in between the lines, and the author wasn’t looking for just any jobs, they were looking for jobs needing their particular skill set. They were looking for a paralegal job or something like that. Which turns out was not in nearly as much demand as their college program told them it would be. The author is not alone in this scenario - I wish someone would’ve told me how quickly things have changed for recent college grads. The stark reality is that there are way more degree-holders than there are jobs requiring degrees.

Everyone got on board the ship that was set to sail for the land of remote, white-collar jobs, with their degree in computer technology or business administration as the ticket to board. Thing is… the ship is sinking. Degree-holders saturate the job market, meanwhile, blue-collar jobs are begging people to close the laptop and lace up their boots.

People keep asking where their jobs are. Grads are asking where the entry-level jobs are. The worry is everywhere. But, people aren’t really asking where all the jobs went. What they’re asking is…

Where are the jobs that are compiled of the tasks that I want to and can perform with my skills and degree?

Well… how do I put this nicely… the labor and workforce are changing, as we discussed, from AI and other factors. Some skills previously performed by humans are becoming irrelevant. If a job consists of a grouping of tasks that someone is willing to pay someone to do, and if the need isn’t there anymore for someone to perform those tasks then… that’s that. If someone doesn’t need your skill then they don’t need your skill. And if the market is saturated with people all possessing the same skills and degrees, then the value given to those skills will naturally go down.

It is a blow to the ego to hear your skills are not as valuable or relevant as you thought they would be. The pain and feeling of betrayal is real, and I’m not minimizing that. We were told that all we had to do was go to college if we wanted to live the cushy life, and that reality has been ripped out from under us. This ship is sinking under the weight of all these caps and gowns and large-language learning models.

I think I’ve seen this film before…

We are not the first generation to experience disruptions in the job market from new technologies (deemed general purpose technologies), and we won’t be the last. This change is cyclical, history is still repeating itself, and the benefits of change typically outweigh the temporary costs of innovation.

The Printing Press

The printing press was invented in 1439. Before then, there were people who had the jobs of scribing and writing. They played their part in the economy with the skills they had as part of the elite. Education was for the privileged, and knowledge (reading and writing) was highly valued and esteemed.

When the printing press was invented, it created a large and permanent change to the workforce and economy. Once the invention was popularized, the tasks of scribing and writing became less in demand.

Darned printing press.

What also happened? Information became easily dispersed and available to everyone, not just the elite. It created countless new jobs and opportunities for people of all classes, normalized the skills of reading and writing, and moved society forward with a new threshold of ability.

If people had banned the printing press because of the jobs it took away, the world would look nothing like the world we know now.

The Industrial Revolution

During the Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries, the economy switched from an agrarian, manual labor-centered workforce to a more industrial and automated machine-centered one. This transition to machines took away countless hands-on jobs. Not as many people were needed to perform tasks, making some skills become obsolete.

What the Industrial Revolution also paved the way for was completely new industries, jobs, and opportunities. The machines and efficiencies that were created led to more innovations, new markets, and higher-paying jobs.

We don’t look back on this time of transition and say to ourselves, “I wish we still harvested wheat by hand.” This may have been a tumultuous time for the wheat-harvesters, but I’m pretty confident they were able to learn new skills and find new jobs.

The Internet

With the invention of the internet, once again, the entire workforce was disrupted. People with manual, middle-skill jobs like researching, travel booking, data entry, and clerical tasks experienced job loss. Things became automated. In-person shopping became less important with the rise of online shopping, leading to store closures and layoffs.

The invention of the internet, like the printing press, also made information attainable to the masses. Anyone could research online, learn new skills, connect with friends and family, job search, amongst the other hundreds of perks.

We all understand the importance of the internet and what it has allowed humanity to accomplish. It may have even had the most impact on people who could not afford to access information in the past. It created avenues for people to obtain knowledge that was never available to them before. Economic mobility became even more accessible, even without a university degree.

The Black Plague

Substack author recently wrote a post about how society has taught us to value and esteem white-collar jobs, and now that those jobs are being replaced with technology we’re facing this identity crisis and death of ego. She discusses how classism in the US has been defined by white-collar vs blue-collar work. The son or daughter who decided to pursue college and a degree in law was more esteemed than the kid who took the electrician apprenticeship. The accountant was praised while the dental hygienist was dismissed. All these kids (including myself) were told to go to college if they wanted their lives to go anywhere and were discouraged from exploring in-person laborious jobs.

The author then discusses the outcome of the Black Plague. After the Black Plague took out most of Europe, affecting peasants and field-workers the worst, the workers who survived suddenly became high in demand. Because of this demand, they were able to break the cyclical poverty of European classism and demand more pay and better treatment from the landowners. She then compares that back to the blue-collar jobs of today.

Sink or Swim

With many labor-intensive jobs going unfilled, the ones who are doing the work are starting to charge 3x what they charged in the past. Traditional blue-collar work has picked up in value due to consistent demand and a decreasing workforce, while recent college grads are still looking for their first office gig 6 months post-graduating. We’ve been reinforced to blindly run after that pat on the back and reassuring nod from ‘professionals’ rather than honestly look at which career paths could produce the results for the lives we want.

We can only guess how all of this will play out in detail, but looking back on the benefits of change throughout history shines light on the positive outcomes it brings. Innovation, short-term job loss, and economic pressures demand adjustment and creativity. What can be painful in the short-term can lead to long-term societal benefit, especially for those previously left out of the conversations.

Creative industries may be destroyed by AI… or they could become more important than ever. AI could enable more innovation or stunt it. Certain jobs might remain untouched by AI, or maybe it can be incorporated in meaningful ways to increase productivity. Anyone has the ability to leverage AI to help them in their career, start a business, research… another tool made available to the masses.

One thing is clear - humans have always adapted to technological changes and we won’t be the first generation to give up and sink.

We may just need to change our perspective on what we deem as the valuable skills moving forward and maybe learn a few things.

Navigate the disruption like a pro

If you feel stuck and are dwelling on the sunk costs of the skills you learned that now lack relevancy, you are not alone and you are not irrelevant. Experience is never wasted, it just needs to be used correctly. String-theory and all that.

So your degree might not be as useful as you thought. Neither was mine. The sooner you accept this the better. That doesn’t mean college taught you nothing! (hopefully)

There are opportunities out there, you’re just holding onto too much to see them.

Here’s what you could do:

Let go of expectations, from yourself and others. If you have incredible dreams for yourself and want to keep pursuing those and stay in the competition, then go for it. Your drive alone can get you far in your career. But if you were pursuing a career because you felt like you should, then you need to let that feeling go. Start by eliminating “should” from your vocabulary entirely. Its liberating. Now look at the paths for what you can do.

Learn how to pivot. You might not have to leave the industry you work in entirely, maybe you just need a new position. You already have the industry knowledge. Or if your industry is dying, take the skills you have to a new one. Ask ChatGPT what kind of work you could go into now. Talk with your friends. Poke around on the internet. There are interesting jobs out there you’ve never even heard of.

There’s nothing shameful about pivoting in your career. You can’t keep holding onto the psychological safety you thought your last job gave you. If people don’t regard your excel skills as highly anymore then you can’t force your pivot table down their throats and demand their respect and money. You couldn’t do that anyway really…

Consider completely new industries. A full rebrand. An in-person laborious job may not seem as glamorous as your old one where you could hide behind a computer all day in your pajamas. But, what it lacks in glamour it makes up for in job-security, benefits, income, work-life balance, and not taking your job home with you. A new industry may not even have to be laborious, but maybe stop only searching for remote work. We’ll talk about growing industries in the next section.

Start contracting. Retaining employees can cost a lot for companies. Large companies have been laying off their workforce lately in the name of efficiency, but that doesn’t mean the demand for your skills is completely gone. It could be that they don’t need your skills all of the time. Companies have been opting into contracting and outsourcing of tasks instead of retaining employees, which means there’s opportunity to be the contractor. This could be the opportunity you’ve been looking for to work for yourself. The “Gig Economy” is booming, and more and more people are opting into independent contract work.

Become resilient. AI might be coming to take your current position, but it’s not coming to take all jobs. The tasks associated with certain titles will start to change and rely more on the ability to use AI to complete the tasks rather than performing them yourself - learn how to apply it in your work.

What we’re currently experiencing is another disruption in the economy and workforce which will require people to pivot, get creative, and learn new tricks. It will require trying and failing, and trying again. It’ll take longer than you think. But don’t give up.

Your existence is literally the outcome of the resiliency of every generation before you. I mean… did you think you just fell out of a coconut tree?

Get up, shake off the dust. Become resilient - it’s what employers are looking for anyway.

Business is booming… in these industries

The economy is changing quickly, and the demand for knowledge and thinking-based jobs is slowing, but not disappearing altogether. Labor-based jobs are still around and beginning to pay better than ever. Many tech-based industries are still growing, thriving, and hiring. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics has information on growing occupations and industries.

Here are some industries that are experiencing job growth:

• Renewable Energy (especially tech positions)

• Healthcare (in almost every role, especially mental health)

• Cyber-security

• AI (get ahead of the curve if you can/want to)

• Construction Trades (literally all of them)

• Animal Care (veterinarians were ranked Indeeds top job of 2025, vet techs, etc.)

• Transportation and Logistics

• Finance (fairly competitive though)

Many of the growing roles in these industries do not require 4-year degrees and only require apprenticeships or certificates to get started. While these career paths have not picked up much in popularity yet, it is only a matter of time before avenues to obtain the necessary experience will increase in demand.

The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 describes some more jobs that are experiencing growth and which jobs are experiencing decline.

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Conclusion

If you’re worried about your job becoming irrelevant, then you essentially have two options:

1. Adapt with the industry and learn new skills/how to apply AI.

2. Pivot and consider different career options and learn new skills.

3. Bonus: Learn new skills.

It’s true, AI will replace lots of jobs, and this change in the workforce will be experienced quicker than any economic changes experienced before this. Luckily, there are resources out there to help you navigate these changes, including AI. An easy prompt to put into an AI bot, such as ChatGPT, is asking how to pivot in your career with the experience you have in order to land a role that is higher in demand in the job market.

I’m not too worried. Humans will always be necessary. What I’m worried about is the people who will sink with the ship rather than find something new to sail on. There are jobs out there. You might not initially see the full value in them, but other people (read employers) will, and they’ll pay a lot for their skills.

Stay relevant out there, friends. ✌️

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