Global Scans · Work · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: AI will replace 16% of jobs over the next decade. A billion people will enter the job market over the next ten years.

• [New] The fierce competition has fueled a global talent war for top AI researchers and led to a patchwork of data sovereignty laws that threaten to fragment the once-borderless cloud. Grand Pinnacle Tribune
• [New] While agriculture needs to meet short-term labour shortages, economic continuity requires a long-term horizon that promotes Canadian agriculture sector competitiveness through skilled labour opportunities in professions spanning biotechnology, food science, engineering, and data analytics. Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU)
• [New] Leading minds like Musk and Gates predict fewer employment opportunities alongside the emergence of a more work-optional world. 3DVF
• [New] City AM reported earlier in 2025 that AI could replace 10% of the UK banking sector's workforce, putting 27,000 roles at risk. City AM
• [New] Employers who embrace and support a multigenerational workforce and encourage collaboration between older and younger workers have the potential to drive better business outcomes. MediaRoom
• [New] In addition to completing more technology trainings, the share of disruptive tech skills, such as cybersecurity, data science, and human-computer interaction, listed on LinkedIn has grown for workers of all ages over the last five years, but more so for older workers than younger ones. MediaRoom
• [New] Among Singapore-based executives, 85% said they expect AI to improve their organizations' economic performance, while 68% anticipate workforce reductions linked to AI implementation in the next 18 months. Insurance Business
• [New] Oracle will be delaying some of its data center projects for OpenAI for at least a year due to labour and material shortages. Gizmodo
• [New] The U.S. insurance industry could lose roughly 400,000 workers through attrition by 2026. Business Record
• [New] As humanoid robots become cheaper to produce and more proficient in manual labour, their prevalence will grow dramatically in the coming decades. TechTarget
• [New] Software-developer roles are projected to grow 17% through 2033, reinforcing the value of core programming skills. Quartz
• [New] Information-security analyst jobs are expected to grow about 33% through 2033, driven by the demand for stronger digital defences. Quartz
• [New] Within five years, companies will expect more versatility in the workforce and more AI knowledge. Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry
• [New] Industry efforts to source new talent and tackle burnout continues, but we predict that the disparity between demand and supply will remain for at least the next several years, especially with the emergence of AI in cybersecurity. / USA Cybercrime Magazine
• [New] Tier-1 analyst work will be heavily automated by 2026. Security Boulevard
• [New] For 2026, agencies need to invest in skills development that strengthen resilience by providing skills intelligence tools to identify gaps, make upskilling easy and personalized, and enable more talent mobility options that allow employees to move into mission-critical roles quickly. Cornerstone OnDemand
• [New] The global skills shortage has become one of the costliest operational risks organizations face, contributing to increased incidents, slower remediation, and rising burnout across technical teams. NextBigFuture.com
• [New] Dario Amodei of Anthropic famously warned earlier in 2025 that AI, and implicitly AI agents, could wipe out half of all entry-level white-collar jobs in the next one to five years. Wired
• [New] Home health aides and personal care workers are among the fastest-growing occupations, with more than one million new job openings projected by 2029. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] By 2027, AI is projected to initiate 95% of seller research workflows, fundamentally changing how sales professionals work. ThePromptBuddy
• [New] The PwC 2025 Global Workforce Hopes & Fears Survey found that about 54% of workers have used AI at work in the last year. Inclusion Geeks
• [New] 81% of C-suite executives plan to take deliberate steps to adopt skills-based hiring practices. Forbes
• [New] While growing conditions in some irrigated horticultural regions are expected to be less favourable in 2025-26, overall production is expected to rise, supported by increased bearing trees and greater labour availability. / Australia FTA Freight & Trade Alliance

Last updated: 15 December 2025