The Rise of AI, Job Losses and the Future of Work

Over the last few years, I’ve been watching something shift quietly but powerfully across the world.

Highly educated people, graduates, analysts, consultants, developers, marketers are starting to feel pressure in ways we haven’t seen before.

AI, automation and advanced AI agents are not just changing work. They are reshaping what society defines as “secure careers.”

I talk to entrepreneurs, professionals and creators almost daily. Many are noticing the same trend:

More people applying for fewer jobs.
More companies replacing entry-level roles with automation.
More professionals rethinking what stability really means.

The question is not whether AI is changing the job market.
It already has.

The real question is: what happens next  and how do educated people adapt?

The Reality of Job Losses in 2025–2026

Let’s start with something important.

Despite headlines, global unemployment hasn’t exploded overnight. The International Labour Organization expects global unemployment to stay around 4.9% in 2026, showing stability at a macro level.

But beneath that stability, something deeper is happening.

White-collar roles, especially entry-level digital jobs, are being reshaped rapidly.

Recent forecasts suggest AI could displace up to 92 million jobs by 2030, particularly in programming, data processing and content-related roles.

In the US alone, consulting data linked around 55,000 layoffs in 2025 directly to AI adoption.

That doesn’t sound massive compared to global labour markets, but it signals the beginning of a structural shift.

Why Highly Educated Workers Are Feeling the Pressure

This isn’t a traditional recession.

It’s a transformation.

Companies are not just cutting jobs because of economic downturns. Many are reducing hiring because AI tools can now perform:

• research tasks

• content production

• junior programming

• data analysis

• customer support

In the UK, graduate job listings fell below 10,000, down 45% year-on-year, while youth unemployment surged to over 16%.

That tells a powerful story.

It’s not senior experts losing jobs first.

It’s the entry-level pathway disappearing.

Table: Sectors Experiencing Job Pressure (2025–2026)

Many of these are the exact careers graduates used to enter after university.

The Top 10 Economies and Estimated Unemployment Numbers

Here’s a simplified overview combining unemployment rates with estimated workforce sizes to give perspective. (Numbers rounded for understanding.)

What’s important here is not just unemployment numbers, but the quality of available jobs.

Even with low unemployment, fewer traditional white-collar roles are being created.

Which Jobs Are Predicted to Disappear Faster?

Based on global labour reports and industry data, these roles are expected to shrink fastest:

• Data entry clerks

• Basic copywriters

• Junior coders

• Telemarketers

• Customer service agents

• Bookkeeping assistants

• Administrative coordinators

• Translation roles

• Entry-level analysts

AI already covers tasks equivalent to 11.7% of the US labour market, potentially saving trillions in wages.

This doesn’t mean people become useless.

It means routine tasks are disappearing.

The Future of Salaries and Full-Time Jobs

Here’s something interesting most people overlook.

Even while jobs become harder to secure, salaries are rising in certain sectors.

In the UK, average advertised salaries increased to £43,289, growing faster than inflation despite falling vacancies.

Why?

Because companies are hiring fewer people, but paying more for specialised talent.

We’re moving toward a world where:

• fewer employees exist

• higher skill expectations exist

• income becomes more polarised

This doesn’t mean traditional full-time work disappears entirely.

But it does mean stability shifts from “degree security” to “skill adaptability.”

The Hope for Educated People

I don’t believe education becomes useless.

What changes is how education is used.

The internet has removed the monopoly universities once had on knowledge.

Anyone with a laptop or smartphone can now learn:

• AI automation

• digital marketing

• content strategy

• data analytics

• coding frameworks

• business systems

The barrier is no longer access.

The barrier is mindset.

Table: Top 20 Sectors to Learn for the Next Decade

Notice something?

Most of these roles combine technology + human insight.

That’s the future.

Why Being a Solopreneur Might Become the New Normal

As companies shrink hiring and automate processes, more people will realise something powerful:

You don’t need permission to build a career anymore.

One person with:

• AI tools

• digital skills

• online platforms

can create income streams that previously required entire teams.

This is where I see the rise of the Nomad CEO mindset.

Instead of chasing traditional career ladders, educated people can build:

• personal brands

• niche services

• digital products

• remote consulting businesses

And they can do it from anywhere.

Joining the Nomad CEO Tribe

I’ve always believed that the future belongs to people who adapt faster than systems change.

The Nomad CEO tribe isn’t just about travel or lifestyle.

It’s about:

Thinking independently
Learning continuously
Building systems instead of depending on jobs

If AI is reshaping the workforce, then the smartest response isn’t fear.

It’s evolution.

My Final Thoughts

Yes, AI and automation will continue reshaping white-collar jobs.

Yes, some roles will disappear faster than people expect.

But history shows that every technological shift creates new opportunities for those willing to learn and adapt.

The internet has given everyone access to knowledge.

The question is no longer whether jobs will change.

The question is whether individuals will evolve faster than the system itself.

If you stay curious, build skills and think like a creator rather than just an employee, the future can be incredibly powerful.

Fernando Raymond
Nomad CEO