What will the labor market actually look like in 2026? We break down 10 trends reshaping jobs, pay, and hiring. From agentic AI running multi-step workflows to hybrid work settling in as the default, we show what’s changing, what’s sticking, and where the real career upside is.

AI is no longer just a tool. It’s starting to act like a teammate, connecting tasks into outcomes across recruiting, operations, and customer work. That shift comes with trade-offs: fewer entry-level white-collar roles, greater leverage for skilled trades, and quieter, ongoing headcount trims rather than splashy layoffs. Pay stabilizes as transparency grows, making negotiations clearer and expectations more realistic. The advantage moves to human skills, like judgment, empathy, and influence, because execution is easier to automate than trust.

We also explain why hybrid work keeps winning, how to use in-person time strategically, and what “slow-motion RTO” means for mentorship and visibility. We unpack skills-first hiring as degrees lose ground to certificates and proof of work, plus how automation is speeding up recruiting while raising the bar on fairness. You’ll hear what’s driving the “great stay,” and how to create optionality through visible wins and cross-functional impact. We close with visa shifts and the growing push to govern AI in hiring, with practical takeaways for leaders.

The takeaway is simple: pair AI fluency with power skills, prioritize visibility, and lead with proof over credentials. If this sparked a new way of thinking about 2026, follow the show, share it with a teammate, and tell us which trend you’re betting on.

Additional Resources:
1. Recruiting Trends for 2026: https://www.4cornerresources.com/blog/recruiting-trends-for-the-new-year/
2. Hiring and Salary Guide: https://www.4cornerresources.com/hiring-salary-guide/
3. Q4 2025 AI Perception and Threat in the Workplace Survey: https://www.4cornerresources.com/workplace-ai-perception-and-threat-survey-results/
4. Q4 2025 Employee Mindset Survey: https://www.4cornerresources.com/surveys/q4-2025-employee-mindset/

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petenewsome/
Blog Articles: https://www.4cornerresources.com/blog

AI may not be killing jobs (yet), but it is changing who gets hired. While headlines focus on disruption, the real labor-market story is subtler: hiring has slowed, productivity is rising, and AI is quietly reshaping how work actually gets done.

In this episode of Breaking Job News, host Pete Newsome breaks down Vanguard’s 2026 economic outlook and the latest CompTIA Tech Jobs Report to explain what’s really happening in the job market. You’ll learn why unemployment is expected to stabilize, why tech hiring hasn’t collapsed, and how demand is shifting away from flashy AI job titles toward AI-enabled skills across everyday roles.

Pete also explains why mid-career professionals currently have the advantage, why entry-level workers are feeling the most pressure, and how skills-based hiring is opening doors in tech support, network administration, web development, and beyond. Plus, he covers the launch of the U.S. Tech Force, an ambitious federal initiative that could turn government tech roles into a serious career accelerator.

💬 What AI skill are you adding to your toolkit next?

News Articles:
1. Vanguard Economic & Market Outlook for 2026: https://corporate.vanguard.com/content/dam/corp/research/pdf/isg_vemo_2026.pdf
2. CompTIA Tech Jobs Report - December 2025: https://www.comptia.org/en-us/resources/research/tech-jobs-report/
3. OPM U.S. Tech Force Announcement: https://www.opm.gov/news/news-releases/opm-launches-us-tech-force-to-implement-president-trumps-vision-for-technology-leadership/

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petenewsome/
Blog Articles: https://www.4cornerresources.com/blog

The labor market looks fine, but the data underlying it tell a more complicated story. In today's job headlines, host Pete Newsome breaks down the November jobs report and what it really means for hiring, employees, and workplace strategy right now. Payroll growth was modest, unemployment ticked up to 4.6%, and short-term unemployment jumped, often an early warning sign of disruption. The biggest red flag? A sharp rise in involuntary part-time work reveals that many employers are cutting hours rather than adding full-time roles.

Pete also digs into where jobs are growing and where they are shrinking. Healthcare and construction continue to add jobs, while transportation and warehousing pull back as demand normalizes. Then he zooms out to employee sentiment. ADP data shows motivation and commitment falling for the fourth straight month, with most sectors weakening and knowledge workers feeling the strain. Manufacturing shows improvement, and healthcare and education remain resilient, but overall engagement is slipping rather than strengthening.

For leaders, this matters. Retention may look stable on paper, but many employees are staying because they have fewer options, not because they're energized. Pete wraps with an early, cautiously optimistic signal from ADP's weekly hiring data, suggesting momentum may be stabilizing, and why now is the moment to focus on trust, workload clarity, and growth paths.

News Articles:
1. BLS Employment Situation Summary: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm
2. ADP NER Pulse: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/adp-national-employment-report-preliminary-estimate-november-29-2025-302642779.html
3. ADP Employee Sentiment: https://www.adpresearch.com/employee-sentiment-fell-in-december/

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The headlines say the labor market is “fine.” Your inbox, calendar, and workload probably disagree. In today’s Breaking Job News, host Pete Newsome cuts through the noise to unpack what’s actually happening at work, from AI adoption accelerating faster than leadership can manage it, to the next phase of the Great Stay reshaping how opportunity shows up.

New Gallup data shows 45% of U.S. workers now use AI at work, yet nearly one in four don’t even know their company’s AI strategy. That awareness gap is a quiet career risk. Pete explains where AI is truly adding value right now: information synthesis, idea generation, learning, and basic automation, and how to turn small, practical wins into long-term leverage, even when hiring slows and job postings dry up.

As quits fall and hiring cools, new roles are forming around AI rather than replacing jobs outright. Pete breaks down four emerging paths, AI explainers, AI auditors, AI choosers, and AI trainers, and why proof-of-value skills matter more than titles or degrees in this phase of the labor market. If reqs are frozen, measurable impact is how you stay indispensable.

He also connects the macro trends to real-world consequences with the VA’s plan to cut tens of thousands of mostly unfilled healthcare roles. It’s a snapshot of today’s Great Stay: fewer openings, heavier workloads, and growing burnout. In this environment, the people who remove friction, by streamlining processes, using AI to reduce bottlenecks, or improving throughput, create momentum when the market feels stuck.

If the job market looks stable on paper but unstable in practice, how are you positioning yourself to stand out when opportunity shifts from postings to proof?

News Articles:
1. AI Use at Work Rises: https://www.gallup.com/workplace/699689/ai-use-at-work-rises.aspx
2. Four New Jobs That May Be in Our AI Future: https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/new-jobs-ai-future-fefd4b35?mod=jobs_news_article_pos3
3. How Much Longer Can the Great Stay Last: https://recruitonomics.com/how-much-longer-can-the-great-stay-last/
4. VA Plans for Job Cuts: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/12/13/va-veterans-affairs-job-cuts-trump/

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Blog Articles: https://www.4cornerresources.com/blog

The job market is sending mixed signals; hiring is inching forward while AI is accelerating fast enough to reshape entire industries. In today's Breaking Job News, host Pete Newsome breaks down new ManpowerGroup data showing a +27% U.S. hiring outlook for Q1 2026. Growth is slower and more selective, with finance, insurance, and mid-sized employers driving most of the momentum.

From there, Pete dives into the most unmistakable evidence yet of AI’s impact on staffing. Major banks, such as JPMorgan, Citi, Wells Fargo, and Goldman Sachs, report huge efficiency gains from automation, linking that productivity to fewer operations, administrative, and junior technical roles. What happens in banking rarely stays there; these workflows tend to spread across insurance, healthcare, retail, and public-sector jobs next.

CEO sentiment matches the trend. Leaders overwhelmingly expect AI to boost productivity and the broader economy while weakening the job market. Their budgets show it too: AI spending is rising, but staffing isn’t keeping pace. Add in growing concerns about workers’ skill gaps, and hiring becomes more precise, competitive, and performance-driven.

News Articles:
1. Q1 ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey: https://www.manpowergroup.com/en/insights/report/q1-2026-manpowergroup-employment-outlook-survey
2. Bank Execs Say AI Will Cut Jobs: https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/us-bank-executives-say-ai-will-boost-productivity-cut-jobs-2025-12-09/
3. Stagwell’s CEO Survey on AI's Impact on the Workplace: https://www.stagwellglobal.com/78-of-american-ceos-are-bullish-on-ais-impact-on-workplace-efficiency-and-innovation-new-stagwell-stgw-study-reveals/

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👋 FOLLOW PETE NEWSOME ONLINE:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petenewsome/
Blog Articles: https://www.4cornerresources.com/blog

The headlines say the job market is “cooling,” but the real story is far more revealing. Behind the flat JOLTS numbers, steady openings, steady hires, and another drop in quits, is a labor market that has stopped accelerating and started stabilizing. Workers are switching jobs less, competing offers are thinning, and employers are quietly regaining leverage. Host Pete Newsome breaks down what this shift means for pay and power, and how both candidates and hiring managers should adjust their strategies.

He also zooms out to the path after high school. Parents still favor college, but confidence is fading fast as career and technical education gains legitimacy. With rising costs and clearer outcomes from alternatives, families are reassessing what success actually requires and where non-degree routes outperform the traditional four-year path.

On the hiring front, employers are rewriting the rulebook. Degrees still matter, but experience now rivals them, certificates are becoming trusted proof of skills, and nearly half of employers plan to expand skills-based hiring. Add the rise of AI fluency, from practical use cases to formal credentials, and the new standard is clear: show what you can do, and back it with evidence.

Whether you're building your career or shaping a team, the takeaway is the same: focus on outcomes, stack skills that map to real roles, and use assessments that mirror actual work.

💬What part of this shift do you think will reshape the workforce the most?

News Articles:
1. BLS JOLTS Release: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.nr0.htm
2. ASA Youth Career Readiness Outlook: https://www.asa.org/research/youth-career-readiness-outlook-parent-views-2025/
3. WGU Workforce Decoded Report: https://www.wgu.edu/content/dam/wgu-65-assets/web-sites/impact/wgus-workforce-decoded-report.pdf

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petenewsome/
Blog Articles: https://www.4cornerresources.com/blog

HR’s biggest watchdog just failed its own audit, and the fallout is a warning shot for every employer. Host Pete Newsome breaks down the $11.5M discrimination and retaliation verdict against SHRM, how a single conflict of interest unraveled their investigation, and what true independence and accountability should look like inside any HR process.

Then he zooms out to the labor market signals shaping 2026. Fresh Upwork data and more than a million U.S. job postings reveal significant month-over-month spikes in QA testing, AI and machine-learning skills, and AI-app integration. Yet the biggest surprise is a 48% surge in demand for interpreters and language support, proof that even as AI adoption accelerates, businesses still rely heavily on human creativity, communication, and cultural nuance to make technology useful and trusted.

Pete also breaks down what 1,000+ hiring managers say will matter most next year: software proficiency, data analysis, cybersecurity awareness, and AI literacy on the hard-skills side, paired with communication, professionalism, resilience, and accountability on the soft-skills side. The message is clear: technical skills open doors, but human skills determine who moves ahead.

News Articles:
1. Upwork November Hiring Report: https://www.upwork.com/research/monthly-hiring-report-november-2025
2. Hiring Managers Reveal the Most Important Hard and Soft Skills for 2026: https://www.resumetemplates.com/hiring-managers-reveal-the-most-important-hard-and-soft-skills-for-2026/
3. SHRM Verdict Information: https://www.businessinsider.com/shrm-discrimination-lawsuit-verdict-11-million-racism-retaliation

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petenewsome/
Blog Articles: https://www.4cornerresources.com/blog

What if the 2026 job market isn’t what anyone expects? New survey data shows workers prioritizing pay, job security, and work-life balance over every office perk, and feeling more underpaid and uncertain than ever. Host Pete Newsome breaks down what’s rising, what’s slipping, and how shifting worker expectations are reshaping hiring.

Pete also cuts through the noise on small business hiring struggles. Instead of blaming a “talent shortage,” he digs into the real issues, outdated job ads, slow processes, and uncompetitive pay and share practical fixes that actually bring qualified applicants in the door.

Then he spotlights the sector rewriting the entire labor market: healthcare. RN demand is soaring, imaging and respiratory roles are exploding, and remote-enabled jobs in telehealth and health information are growing fast. He explains why the pipeline is tight, why burnout is rising, and what opportunities this creates for job seekers in 2026.

The big question: Are you ready for what’s coming in 2026?

News Articles:
1. Pay and Job Security Are Top Priorities for Workers in 2026: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/resumeorg-survey-pay-and-job-security-are-top-priorities-for-workers-in-2026-302633466.html
2. NFIB November Jobs Report: https://www.nfib.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/NFIB-November-2025-Jobs-Report.pdf
3. Monster Healthcare Market Report: https://www.monster.com/career-advice/job-search/news-and-insights/2025-healthcare-report

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👋 FOLLOW PETE NEWSOME ONLINE:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petenewsome/
Blog Articles: https://www.4cornerresources.com/blog