By Conor Grant

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In the Workplace

White-collar workers are hanging onto their jobs for dear life, spooked by high-profile layoff announcements, the rise of AI and an unforgiving job market for the unemployed.

What does a "knowledge architect" even do? More Americans have jobs that didn't even exist a generation ago, which has made careers more difficult to describe, writes Callum Borchers.

These jobs could crop up in our AI future. Though there will surely be many occupations that we can't even imagine today, here are four that seem possible, writes New York University's Robert Seaman.

Management & Leadership

Too many bosses take a hands-off approach when delegating, and then get frustrated when things go awry. A "delegation dial" strategy offers a better alternative, writes author and leadership coach Sabina Nawaz.

Human-resources departments often don't live up to employees' expectations because workers want more than a transactional relationship with their HR colleagues, writes Glenn Ruffenach.

OpenAI shortened its "vesting cliff" for new employees, a shift in compensation policy that's meant to help retain new hires from leaving in the midst of a fierce talent war.

The Big Number

The share of CEOs who plan to spend even more on AI in 2026, according to an annual survey of more than 350 public-company CEOs from advisory firm Teneo. That continued spending comes even as less than half of current AI projects are generating positive returns.

State of the Workforce

Workers in their 40s are going back to school amid a tough job market and the rise of AI, writes Clare Ansberry. Some are also making radical career changes, such as going from chef to software engineer.

Uniforms have come to define the American worker, telling the story of the country's decades-long dependence on workers who are made anonymous by design.

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 17, 2025 10:55 ET (15:55 GMT)

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