The Algorithm Age

Taskrabbit CEO Ania Smith took a year off with her family in Argentina—not to escape, but to reset. The break helped her rethink the juggle between career and home, shift household roles, and set the stage for her next big executive moves. Whether it’s driven by burnout or the need to take a meaningful break with an increasingly longer career on the horizon, sabbaticals are experiencing a resurgence. And it’s not just Gen Z grads exploring the world before getting serious about their careers— leaders are joining in too. Take Ania Smith, the CEO of Taskrabbit, for example. She was seemingly at a career high, working as an executive at Airbnb , when she quit it all; she packed up her life and moved to Buenos Aires for a year in 2018 with her husband and three young children, to hit pause. Despite the stigma that often surrounds résumé gaps, Smith scored a promotion on her return–and has since seen her career go from strength to strength. And the 50-year-...

Let me be clear about something: the idea that you need to work 12-hour days to get ahead in your career is absolute bullsh*t. And I should know, because I spent the first few years of my career doing exactly that. I used to constantly talk about how "busy" I was, answering emails at 9pm, and genuinely believing that my worth as an employee was directly tied to how many hours my laptop was open. Then I realised being busy doesn't mean being productive. And being productive doesn't require sacrificing your entire life just to do your job. Years later, I'd still very much describe myself as an ambitious, career-driven person, but I also religiously clock off at 4pm on Fridays (don't tell my manager). I take my lunch breaks. I don't check emails after hours unless something is literally on fire (it never is). And in doing so, my career has never been in better shape. The secret isn't working more hours — it's working smarter. And that...

TOKYO — Shota Shimizu slid on his headset and dialed the human resources department at his client’s employer, a nursing care company. The client wanted to quit her job, and Shimizu was doing it for her. “There was a mismatch between her expectations and the reality of the job,” Shimizu told the HR representative. “She still has her uniform and locker key, and will return them by mail. Can we confirm your mailing address?” Shimizu works for Momuri, a Tokyo-based “resignation company” whose agents quit jobs on behalf of clients who want to avoid the uncomfortable conversation. Momuri — which means “I can’t take it anymore” in Japanese — is among a niche but increasingly popular industry offering “proxy quitters” in Japan, stepping in for workers who struggle to cut ties with their boss, for up to about $350 (50,000 yen). This service has grown since the pandemic, which disrupted Japan’s rigid work culture and challenged the traditional notion of a “salaryman,” an arche...

The number of new entry-level jobs has fallen by nearly a third since ChatGPT was launched in November 2022, it was reported last night. Openings for apprenticeships, graduate roles, internships and junior roles with no requirement for a degree fell by 31.9 per cent, according to The Times . Research by jobs search website Adzuna found that entry-level vacancies only make up a quarter of the overall jobs market, which is down by nearly 4 per cent since 2022. It comes as more companies outline their plans to use AI to reduce their headcount. BT said in May 2023 that 10,000 jobs would be replaced by artificial intelligence by the end of the decade. The roles impacted include call handling and network diagnostics. Its chief executive Allison Kirkby has claimed that advances in AI could result in even more job cuts at the company. Dario Amodei, head of $61billion AI start-up Anthropic, last month warned that the technology could cut half of all entry-level white-c...

After I graduated from college, it took me months to find a job. I accepted the first job offer I got, and it wasn't the right role for me. Quitting was difficult, but it brought me to my dream career. I graduated from college with a strategic communications degree and an overly confident mindset that I would be the absolute best new hire at any company I wanted to work for. I had three internships under my belt from my four years in college, all directly related to my degree. I had great references. And, what I thought was most important, I had an absolutely relentless drive to make it big at an ad agency. I was ready for the real world. Or so I thought. I graduated without a job, and the search was tough I spent the next few weeks after graduation applying for positions , and then I spent the next few months after that in a hole of desperation. Interview after interview, rejection after rejection — if I heard back at...

After I graduated from college, it took me months to find a job. I accepted the first job offer I got, and it wasn't the right role for me. Quitting was difficult, but it brought me to my dream career. I graduated from college with a strategic communications degree and an overly confident mindset that I would be the absolute best new hire at any company I wanted to work for. I had three internships under my belt from my four years in college, all directly related to my degree. I had great references. And, what I thought was most important, I had an absolutely relentless drive to make it big at an ad agency. I was ready for the real world. Or so I thought. I graduated without a job, and the search was tough I spent the next few weeks after graduation applying for positions , and then I spent the next few months after that in a hole of desperation. Interview after interview, rejection after rejection — if I heard back at...

White-collar job postings fell 12.7% over the year in the first quarter. Wage growth has also slowed to a crawl for those in white-collar roles. Blue-collar laborers are in higher demand as young workers steadily fill roles. Jobs are scarce and wages are stagnant for white-collar workers compared to the boom of a few years ago. White-collar job postings nationwide are shrinking faster than their blue-collar equivalents, Revelio Labs , a workforce intelligence company, found. Those postings fell 12.7% compared to blue-collar's 11.6% between Q1 2024 and Q1 2025. Office workers are seeing fewer open roles for titles like information specialists, sales representatives, and business analysts. These business and IT roles are seeing the largest decline as the labor market grapples with slowing job growth. Several white-collar roles were on Revelio's list of occupations that had the biggest declines in openings between Q2 ...

White-collar job postings fell 12.7% over the year in the first quarter. Wage growth has also slowed to a crawl for those in white-collar roles. Blue-collar laborers are in higher demand as young workers steadily fill roles. Jobs are scarce and wages are stagnant for white-collar workers compared to the boom of a few years ago. White-collar job postings nationwide are shrinking faster than their blue-collar equivalents, Revelio Labs , a workforce intelligence company, found. Those postings fell 12.7% compared to blue-collar's 11.6% between Q1 2024 and Q1 2025. Office workers are seeing fewer open roles for titles like information specialists, sales representatives, and business analysts. These business and IT roles are seeing the largest decline as the labor market grapples with slowing job growth. Several white-collar roles were on Revelio's list of occupations that had the biggest declines in openings between Q2 ...

A few weeks ago, I got offered a job out of the blue. I turned it down because at the time, I loved my current role and had no interest in leaving it. I was flattered when the person who approached me said they would like me to reconsider and would be happy to wait if I needed more time. I said I’d think about it, but had no intention of reconsidering. Soon after, a colleague said something to me that felt like a punch in the guts. I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind since, and I’ve started to think seriously about calling the headhunter and having a chat. What is your advice? We won’t print what was said to you because it was very particular to your job and workplace. What I can say is that I was astounded when I read the words used against you. They would be considered over-the-top, even in the most high-pressure, high-expectation workplace. This was an attack on your work and your character, and I can see why it’s suddenly chan...

The U.S. labor market is in a holding pattern with relatively low unemployment, but a slower pace of hiring has caused the share of long-term unemployed workers to stagnate amid economic uncertainty. The Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) tracks the number of individuals in the workforce considered long-term unemployed , which is defined as workers who have been unemployed for 27 weeks or more. In April, the percentage of long-term unemployed workers as a share of the total pool of unemployed workers rose to 23.5%, the highest level in three years, when the economy was rebounding from the COVID pandemic and in the midst of the highest inflation in decades. It dipped to 20.4% in May and has remained above 20% since April 2024. Allison Shrivastava, an economist with the Indeed Hiring Lab, told FOX Business that while economic data related to long-term unemployment can be "pretty noisy" on a month-to-month basis, she noted th...

The U.S. labor market is in a holding pattern with relatively low unemployment, but a slower pace of hiring has caused the share of long-term unemployed workers to stagnate amid economic uncertainty. The Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) tracks the number of individuals in the workforce considered long-term unemployed , which is defined as workers who have been unemployed for 27 weeks or more. In April, the percentage of long-term unemployed workers as a share of the total pool of unemployed workers rose to 23.5%, the highest level in three years, when the economy was rebounding from the COVID pandemic and in the midst of the highest inflation in decades. It dipped to 20.4% in May and has remained above 20% since April 2024. Allison Shrivastava, an economist with the Indeed Hiring Lab, told FOX Business that while economic data related to long-term unemployment can be "pretty noisy" on a month-to-month basis, she noted th...