AI was meant to reduce work. Instead, employees are spending more time managing the machines. This week’s Paper Cut covers botsitting, broken graduate on-ramps, ghost jobs and regulated trust, white-collar hiring pressure, and The Cut List of layoffs shaped by AI spending and restructuring.

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Sources & Links

The Botsitting Economy

* https://www.hrdive.com/news/workers-spend-more-time-managing-ai/822610/?utm_source=ebn&utm_medium=news-feed&utm_content=story&utm_campaign=all

* https://hbr.org/2026/06/why-employees-arent-transparent-about-their-ai-usage

* https://www.businessinsider.com/satya-nadella-microsoft-how-to-manage-ai-agents-human-employees-2026-6

* https://www.businessinsider.com/salesforce-cuts-jobs-agentforce-2026-6

* https://fortune.com/2026/06/11/agility-robotics-c-h-robinson-ceo-task-augmentation-not-mass-layoffs/

* https://www.hcamag.com/us/news/general/the-great-flattening-is-costing-more-than-organisations-bargained-for/577002?utm_source=ebn&utm_medium=news-feed&utm_content=story&utm_campaign=all

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

The On-Ramp Is Now an Apprenticeship Problem

* https://www.npr.org/2026/06/01/nx-s1-5843076/remote-work-college-graduates-unemployment-ai

* https://www.hrdive.com/news/remote-work-may-be-hurting-college-grads/822018/?utm_source=ebn&utm_medium=news-feed&utm_content=story&utm_campaign=all

* https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jun/11/young-ambitious-out-of-work-unemployment

* https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2026/06/05/10-most-employable-careers-for-grads-in-2026-according-to-gohumanize/

* https://fortune.com/2026/06/04/gen-z-more-disconnected-distrustful-of-coworkers-than-older-colleagues-so-lonely-taking-off-work/

* https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/workplace/what-is-microshifting-workday-productivity-be5d150f

* https://www.fastcompany.com/91543404/rust-out-is-the-new-burnout-and-it-requires-a-different-fix-burnout-productivity-advice

* https://www.inc.com/soren-kaplan/a-60-year-study-of-800000-workers-just-found-the-number-1-cause-of-burnout-heres-what-to-do-about-it/91354235

Trust Is Becoming Regulated

* https://www.hrdive.com/news/new-york-passed-bill-aimed-at-halting-ghost-jobs/822620/?utm_source=ebn&utm_medium=news-feed&utm_content=story&utm_campaign=all

* https://www.hrdive.com/news/companies-face-potential-fines-for-ghost-job-postings/822670/?utm_source=ebn&utm_medium=news-feed&utm_content=story&utm_campaign=all

* https://www.hcamag.com/us/specialization/diversity-inclusion/19-states-sue-over-anti-dei-terms-added-to-federal-contracts/578627?utm_source=ebn&utm_medium=news-feed&utm_content=story&utm_campaign=all

* https://financialpost.com/fp-work/b-c-court-decision-remote-work-case-employers-on-notice

* https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/retrenchment-disguised-job-loss-apply-overseas-new-opportunity-6155641

* https://www.businessinsider.com/heres-the-standard-severance-package-salesforce-offers-us-employees-2026-6

* https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-employee-survey-compensation-question-omitted-2026-6

* https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-surveys-employees-sentiment-memo-2026-6

The White-Collar Slowdown Gets Selective

* https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm

* https://www.spglobal.com/market-intelligence/en/news-insights/research/2026/06/global-employment-slumps-as-business-outlook-darkens-and-costs-rise

* https://news.constructconnect.com/white-collar-hiring-slump-clouds-office-recovery?utm_source=ebn&utm_medium=news-feed&utm_content=story&utm_campaign=all

* https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jun/11/young-ambitious-out-of-work-unemployment

* https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cnvpn253re4o

* https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/at-work/deloitte-warns-slowing-economy-not-ai-will-make-it-harder-to-find-a-job/news-story/6135962464d58e29c9291bdb457b2c1f

* https://www.fastcompany.com/91554967/the-job-market-is-bouncing-back-but-not-for-these-workers

* https://www.biospace.com/job-trends/may-layoffs-hit-nearly-7-000-with-most-cuts-from-takeda-biontech