AI-compressed white-collar timeline shifts is the corporate takeaway that fails to make the news (between layoffs and AI investments).
Eric Siu authored an X posts with a handful of examples working with vendors, partners, freelancers, contractors, or other parties working with 2023-2024 speed, which is simply not acceptable today.
A week ago, I published a LI post for handymen and other blue-collar professionals, commending them for the hard work, commitment, working evenings and weekends, driving and running on calls at a moment’s notice, and more. This segment is in very high demand, and costs are climbing up for a reason.
Office jobs are overpriced at the 2023-2024 tempo. Period. The theoretical demand is there, but the value of bloated teams with endless meetings is rarely around.
The main reason white collar roles have been growing in demand over the past 25 years is ADAPTABILITY.
Again: ADAPTABILITY.
From the dot com boom through the great recession, between offline to office Internet to mobile phones and social networks and paid ads and various funnels, and SEO fading away, to LLM content and deep fake videos – these office-led roles require CONSTANT LEARNING.
Millions and millions of corporate workers haven’t learned a thing in the past 5 years, repeating the same SOPs for traditional roles. This is the leading reason for layoff rounds at scale that have been going on for three and a half years (and counting).
I’ve seen a fair share of people – both corporate workers and startup/agency founders – retiring since the pandemic. Selling businesses or moving to the countryside, or taking other extreme career moves. There’s nothing wrong with that – the pace isn’t always sustainable and alternatives may provide a better work-life balance.
But seeking the maximum of job comfort, reputation, pay, flexibility, working hours – at a snail pace of delivery – is inherently unsustainable.
