AI is being used to justify restructures, expand monitoring, and compress entry-level pathways. This week’s Paper Cut covers the efficiency trap (Jevons Paradox at work), agents moving into HR and finance, the pipeline risk when entry work disappears, the rising control stack, and The Cut List of major job cuts.

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Sources & Links

The Efficiency Trap

* https://employerbranding.news/the-efficiency-trap-ai-the-jevons-paradox-and-the-future-of-the-human-workforce/

* https://employerbranding.news/the-ai-bill-is-coming-its-big-hr-and-ta-will-pay-it/

* https://www.forbes.com/sites/joemckendrick/2026/05/24/why-ai-likely-means-more-work-for-humans/

* https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/99-percent-ceos-workers-ai-survey

* https://www.indiatoday.in/technology/features/story/microsoft-and-others-rethink-ai-use-cost-rising-fast-and-no-productivity-gains-2917319-2026-05-26

* https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/hsbc-ceo-georges-elhedery-says-do-not-fight-ai-banks-cut-jobs-6131921

Agents in HR and finance

* https://www.ciodive.com/news/Google-Cloud-Workday-agentic-HR-finance/821405/

* https://newsroom.workday.com/2026-05-28-Workday-and-Google-Cloud-Expand-Strategic-Partnership-to-Bring-AI-Agents-for-HR-and-Finance-Into-Employees-Daily-Workflows

* https://www.hrdive.com/news/when-technology-becomes-a-headache-instead-of-a-solution/821380/

* https://www.hcamag.com/asia/news/general/the-old-hr-is-dead-heres-whats-replacing-it/576490

* https://www.ibanet.org/IBA-global-employment-report-highlights-AI-skills-shortages-and-employee-wellbeing-as-defining-workplace-challenges

Pipeline and skills

* https://fortune.com/2026/05/21/kenneth-arrow-learning-by-doing-entry-level-work-automation/

* https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/27/these-5-ai-proof-skills-are-likely-to-increase-in-value-over-next-5-years-career-expert.html

* https://www.businessinsider.com/nvidia-jensen-huang-what-kids-should-study-ai-education-advice-2026-5

* https://fortune.com/2026/05/26/nvidia-ceo-jensen-huang-embrace-criticism-leadership-strategy-learned-from-taiwanese-parents-five-trillion-dollar-tech-firm/

* https://fortune.com/2026/05/22/indeed-chief-economist-svenja-gudell-entering-era-great-mismatch-generational-imbalance-workers/

* https://www.ilo.org/resource/news/global-employment-forecast-downgraded-7-million-jobs-2025-amid-rising

* https://globalnews.ca/news/11864745/youth-living-at-home/

Control stack and governance

* https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/work-from-home-warning-after-private-investigator-reveals-wild-surveillance-request-from-aussie-boss-watching-you-190000189.html

* https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-administration-proposes-non-disclosure-agreements-us-federal-workers-2026-05-26/

* https://www.wired.com/story/department-of-labor-tells-employees-to-report-anyone-prioritizing-dei/

* https://hrsea.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/workplace/the-hidden-psychological-cost-of-workplace-recognition/131245019

* https://www.ft.com/content/e126f744-3db9-4305-8871-31f83ebc4ed7?syn-25a6b1a6=1

The Cut List

* https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/25/what-clickups-mass-layoff-tells-us-about-the-future-of-work/

* https://www.hcamag.com/ca/news/general/wix-axes-20-of-its-workforce-as-ai-layoffs-reshape-global-tech/576995

* https://anz.peoplemattersglobal.com/amp/news/strategic-hr/after-saying-no-more-layoffs-in-2026-meta-plans-1400-more-job-cuts-in-washington-49942

* https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/may/22/wisetech-redundancies-australia-omits-ai-from-emails-to-chinese-employees

* https://www.businessinsider.com/read-meta-layoff-email-employees-2026-5

* https://www.reuters.com/business/world-at-work/intuit-cut-17-global-jobs-streamline-operations-memo-shows-2026-05-20/

* https://www.ynetnews.com/business/article/h1anwq4lme

* https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy026x9jpd0o

* https://www.wsj.com/opinion/how-i-choose-which-cloudflare-employees-to-replace-with-ai-40a197e5

* https://www.hcamag.com/us/specialization/transformation/this-ceo-announced-huge-job-cuts-because-of-ai-threats-to-his-family-followed/576406

* https://www.ft.com/content/d82d2a5c-74ab-4eb9-a658-fd5467e71670?syn-25a6b1a6=1

* https://www.ft.com/content/1b7625e7-e9ab-4660-aff5-c1e333c31a5c?syn-25a6b1a6=1