AI will keep dominating the headlines. The practical 2026 story for HR and employer brand leaders is time: schedule control, workflow design, and whether skills and pathways are being built in reality, not just in messaging.

This week’s Paper Cut looks at the AI jobs narrative versus labour data, the shift from “where” to “when” flexibility, and what narrowing entry routes mean for talent strategy.

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📌 Sources & Links

AI Jobs: Between Panic and PR

https://www.hcamag.com/asia/news/general/us-could-lose-104-million-jobs-to-ai-and-automation/562136

https://fortune.com/2026/01/07/ai-layoffs-convenient-corporate-fiction-true-false-oxford-economics-productivity/

https://www.businessinsider.com/wef-sees-4-ai-futures-for-jobs-by-2030-only-one-limits-disruption-2026-1

https://www.businessinsider.com/mckinsey-workforce-ai-agents-consulting-industry-bob-sternfels-2026-1

https://fortune.com/article/godfather-ai-geoffrey-hinton-massive-unemployment-soaring-profits-capitalism-hyperscalers/

Flexibility 2.0: Control the Clock

https://fortune.com/2026/01/04/bosses-new-battle-remote-work-from-where-to-when-flexible-hybrid/

https://fortune.com/2026/01/13/what-is-microshifting-work-life-balance-hybrid-remote/

https://www.peoplematters.in/news/hr-effectiveness/amazon-tightens-return-to-office-enforcement-with-new-monitoring-system-report-47956

https://www.businessinsider.com/120k-remote-job-vs-240k-in-office-debate-reader-survey-2025-12

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/work-from-home-office-remote-benefits-b2894944.html

Pipelines Are Bending, Not Breaking

https://fortune.com/2026/01/06/college-to-office-path-dead-ceo-randstad-recruiter-gen-z-millennial-grads-trade-jobs/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/01/14/workers-age-new-jobs-baby-boomers/

https://www.hcamag.com/nz/news/general/hr-steps-out-of-the-back-office-how-people-leaders-became-core-decision-makers/561456

https://qz.com/adp-employment-report-white-collar-job-losses

https://www.upworthy.com/gen-z-career-minimalism-ex1

Layoffs, Briefly

https://www.humanresourcesonline.net/citigroup-expected-to-cut-about-1-000-jobs-this-week-as-restructuring-continues

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-15/wall-street-eliminated-10-600-jobs-last-year-most-since-2016

https://tvpworld.com/91010323/important-stellantis-car-factory-in-poland-announces-mass-layoffs

https://me.peoplemattersglobal.com/news/workforce-planning/ubisoft-confirms-layoffs-at-abu-dhabi-studio-amid-global-restructuring-48049

https://www.businessinsider.com/recent-company-layoffs-laying-off-workers-2026

https://www.newsweek.com/list-companies-layoffs-employees-january-11293493

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