The Algorithm Age

The General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE) responded with an angry statement to the Labour Ministry’s intention to extend working hours to up to 13 per day for the same employer. Worker representatives argue that the Greek government is attempting to solidify a practice that will physically and mentally exhaust employees, without actually improving the productivity of the Greek economy. "The further deregulation of the labour framework and the shift of responsibility for managing working and leisure time to individual negotiation — where the employer-employee relationship is imbalanced — essentially undermines any effort to restore a framework of free collective bargaining," said the GSEE’s statement. It continued: "The duration of working time, rest periods, and vacation for workers cannot be regulated by government intervention, but only through social dialogue, through collective bargaining." The group spoke of “an attempt to dismantle colle...

Talent shortages are the consequence of a hard-core push to a return to office, as we can see from Randstad’s latest “Workmonitor Pulse” report . The survey of 5,250 employees shows that 33 percent, a full third, rank remote work even above “employability” — meaning ongoing relevance, skills and job security — when forced to choose. Seventy-three percent of fully remote workers would surrender a pay bump to preserve flexibility, and 70 percent would forgo promotions. Among fully remote respondents, half would not surrender location freedom for employability. The same can be said for 37 percent for hybrid workers and 29 percent for those permanently on-site. The latter figure for on-site workers shows how many people are liable to be tempted by lower-salary flexible work, if given the chance. External evidence confirms this. FlexJobs’s Q1 2025 “Remote Work Economy Index” demonstrates that remote jobs remain an irresistible lure: 37 percent of job seekers rank location fl...

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...

For two-and-a-half years I, as many teenage boys do, worked as a pot washer (later graduating to a bartender) and whilst it wasn’t the most glamorous job, it worked well for me. This was whilst I was at college, allowing me to earn a decent chunk of cash alongside my studies, before I started my role as an apprentice journalist. I was lucky to have such a lenient boss, who organised shifts via a WhatsApp group and was pretty laid-back when it came to swapping and cancelling working hours. There are obviously issues with these zero-hours contracts – they can lead to exploitation and offer little job security, especially for those with more responsibilities than a 17-year-old student. On top of this, employers offering such contracts are not required to give sick pay or any notice before termination. But as I see it, this is more of an issue with the company rather than the contract. I enjoyed a good relationship with my employer and never had an issue with my shif...

For two-and-a-half years I, as many teenage boys do, worked as a pot washer (later graduating to a bartender) and whilst it wasn’t the most glamorous job, it worked well for me. This was whilst I was at college, allowing me to earn a decent chunk of cash alongside my studies, before I started my role as an apprentice journalist. I was lucky to have such a lenient boss, who organised shifts via a WhatsApp group and was pretty laid-back when it came to swapping and cancelling working hours. There are obviously issues with these zero-hours contracts – they can lead to exploitation and offer little job security, especially for those with more responsibilities than a 17-year-old student. On top of this, employers offering such contracts are not required to give sick pay or any notice before termination. But as I see it, this is more of an issue with the company rather than the contract. I enjoyed a good relationship with my employer and never had an issue with my shif...

Ford CEO Jim Farley learned from older employees that some young workers at the carmaker were taking shifts at Amazon to make ends meet, he said at the Aspen Ideas Festival. Farley said he drew on founder Henry Ford’s decision to raise factory wages to $5 a day in 1914 to make temporary workers into full-time employees. Young people have previously eschewed manufacturing jobs due to low wages. Some economists credit carmaker Henry Ford for jump-starting the American middle class in the 20th century when, in January 1914, he hiked factory wages to $5 , more than double the average wage for an eight-hour work day. More than 100 years later, facing the reality of many employees “barely getting by,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said he took a page out of the founder’s playbook. The carmaker’s chief executive recognized the need to make a change in his workplace when he spoke to veteran employees during union contract negotiations and learned young Ford employees were...

Ford CEO Jim Farley learned from older employees that some young workers at the carmaker were taking shifts at Amazon to make ends meet, he said at the Aspen Ideas Festival. Farley said he drew on founder Henry Ford’s decision to raise factory wages to $5 a day in 1914 to make temporary workers into full-time employees. Young people have previously eschewed manufacturing jobs due to low wages. Some economists credit carmaker Henry Ford for jump-starting the American middle class in the 20th century when, in January 1914, he hiked factory wages to $5 , more than double the average wage for an eight-hour work day. More than 100 years later, facing the reality of many employees “barely getting by,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said he took a page out of the founder’s playbook. The carmaker’s chief executive recognized the need to make a change in his workplace when he spoke to veteran employees during union contract negotiations and learned young Ford employees were...

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...

A survey by the Pew Research Center found that over half (52%) of workers worry about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on their future work. Lower-income workers worry more than other income groups about AI displacement. Some careers are more AI-resilient than others however. A study by Resume Now identified these careers as AI-resistant — and they pay over $50,000 with just a high school diploma . Discover Next: Here’s How To Use AI To Quickly Start a Side Gig, According to Codie Sanchez For You: 4 Low-Risk Ways To Build Your Savings in 2025 Earning passive income doesn't need to be difficult. You can start this week. Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists Median pay : $71,420 These workers assess fire hazards, put prevention strategies in place and investigate the cause of wildfires. “This work relies on on-the-ground expertise and split-second decision-making,” said Keith Spencer, career expert at...

A survey by the Pew Research Center found that over half (52%) of workers worry about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on their future work. Lower-income workers worry more than other income groups about AI displacement. Some careers are more AI-resilient than others however. A study by Resume Now identified these careers as AI-resistant — and they pay over $50,000 with just a high school diploma . Discover Next: Here’s How To Use AI To Quickly Start a Side Gig, According to Codie Sanchez For You: 4 Low-Risk Ways To Build Your Savings in 2025 Earning passive income doesn't need to be difficult. You can start this week. Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists Median pay : $71,420 These workers assess fire hazards, put prevention strategies in place and investigate the cause of wildfires. “This work relies on on-the-ground expertise and split-second decision-making,” said Keith Spencer, career expert at...

In 2025, we're constantly told, artificial intelligence is bringing about a workplace revolution. Countless billionaires have waxed poetic about the " coming recession " and " unemployment crisis " that their hyped up AI chatbots are sure to bring. Bernie Sanders, the progressive senator from Vermont, has been listening. Calling the US tech industry on its AI hype — which mostly involves generating shareholder value — Sanders recently posed a rhetorical question on the Joe Rogan podcast : if AI is as powerful as they say, why not give workers a 30-hour week? "Technology is gonna work to improve us, not just the people who own the technology and the CEOs of large corporations," Sanders said. "You are a worker, your productivity is increasing because we give you AI, right? Instead of throwing you out on the street, I’m gonna reduce your work week to 32 hours." "That means, give you more time with your family, with...

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...

The Fair Work Commission has found a tradie was “forced to resign” from his job after his employer swore at him during a secretly recorded meeting about his performance. A workplace lawyer said the issue “cuts both ways” with both employees and employers potentially able to take action if they face swearing at work . Commissioner Susie Allison found that while swearing was likely to be a part of the “everyday work culture” of the tradie’s employer, Melbourne small business DMG Building & Electrical Services, the language and behaviour directed at him were “not appropriate or acceptable behaviour in any workplace”. She said the worker was “reasonably concerned for his mental and physical safety” and had no “real choice” but to resign. McCabes Lawyers principal Tim McDonald told Yahoo Finance the case raised issues for both employees and employers. RELATED Right to disconnect warning as worker sues former employer for $800,000 ...

Australian workers are facing a major upheaval as artificial intelligence (AI) becomes a cheaper alternative to employing humans. While the full impact of AI is yet to be reflected in job ads or official employment statistics, both employers and employees warn the technology is already reshaping the nation's labour market. It took recent data science graduate Tien Hung Nguyen 30 applications and an internship to land his first full-time job. "I feel privileged to have secured this position. I'm going to give everything I've got," he says. Most of his friends are still looking for work — and he says artificial intelligence is a big reason why. "Since AI appeared, for example, a team might have needed three or four juniors and a senior. Now, it's one junior and AI," Mr Nguyen explains. "There are fewer opportunities for young graduates." In countries where AI is more advanced, such as the...