Workplace Trends 2026: AI Recruitment, Boomerang Hiring, More

>>> WE'RE BACK WITH CONSUMER

CONFIDENTIAL AND A LOOK AT WHAT

THE JOB MARKET COULD HOLD FOR

2026.

ACCORDING TO THE LATEST JOBS

REPORT JUST OUT THIS MORNING,

EMPLOYERS ADDED 64,000 JOBS,

MORE THAN ANTICIPATED, BUT THE

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE ALSO WENT UP

TO 4.6%.

THAT'S HIGHER THAN EXPECTED.

SO THIS MIXED NEWS COMES OUT AS

LINKEDIN OUT WITH ITS ANNUAL

LIST OF BIG IDEAS, PREDICTIONS

FOR THE NEW YEAR.

HERE WITH A FIRST LOOK

LINKEDIN'S EDITOR IN CHIEF DAN.

>> GOOD MORNING.

>> "TIME" MAGAZINE'S PERSON OF

THE YEAR, A.I.

>> GOT NOTHING ON US.

>> NOTHING ON YOU.

SO LET'S START WITH A.I.

HOW IS THAT GOING TO BE

IMPACTING JOBS AND -- AS WE GO

INTO 2026.

>> THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF FEAR

ABOUT A.I. IN THE RECRUITING

PROCESS.

2026 IS THE YEAR THAT SLIPS TO

ACCEPTANCE AND EXCITEMENT.

THERE WAS A STUDY DONE BY THE

UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO ACROSS

70,000 JOB APPLICANTS WHERE THEY

RANDOMLY ASSIGNED APPLICANTS TO

AN A.I. RECRUITER, CHATBOT OR

HUMAN RECRUITER.

AT THE END OF THE PROCESS 78%

PREFERRED A.I. OVER THE HUMAN.

>> REALLY?

>> BETTER HIRING, HIRING 12%

MORE PEOPLE.

A HUMAN HAD TO MAKE THE CALL AT

THE END BUT 12% WENT MORE AND

16% LONGER RETENTION AT THE

COMPANIES THEY WENT TO.

THEY SURFACED DIFFERENT PEOPLE

THAT THE RECRUITERS WOULDN'T

HAVE FOUND BEFORE.

PEOPLE LIKED BEING INTERVIEWED

BY THE A.I.

>> A.I. BRINGS MORE DIVERSITY.

>> EXACTLY.

>> LESS SUBJECTIVENESS.

>> THERE'S BIAS IN A.I. HIRING

ALSO, BUT IT'S DIFFERENT.

NOT GETTING THROWN OFF IF YOU

HAVE A COLD OR WHERE YOUR DEGREE

IS FROM.

STICKING WITH THE QUESTIONS AND

DIGGING IN.

>> THERE IS INTERESTING.

A LOT OF FOLKS SEEM AS LESS

INTIMIDATING WHICH MAKES SENSE.

>> IF YOU WANT A JOB NEXT YEAR,

PRACTICE NOW.

TALK TO CHATGPT.

TELL IT GO THROUGH THE WHOLE

PROCESS GET USED TO TALKING TO

A.I.

>> ANOTHER THING LINKEDIN IS

PREDICTING BOOMERANG HIRES.

EXPLAIN WHAT THAT IS AND WHAT

MIGHT BE FILLING THE RISE?

>> WE'RE SEEING COMPANIES THAT

LEANED INTO A.I. AND CUT STAFF

BECAUSE OF IT STARTING TO REALLY

REGRET THAT.

FORESTER DID A SURVEY OF

COMPANIES THAT MADE CUTS BECAUSE

OF A.I. PROJECTS.

55% SAID THEY WERE WINDING THAT

BACK.

BUT MOST FAMOUS EXAMPLE THIS IS

KARNA, BUY NOW, PAY LATER, MADE

A CUSTOMER SERVICE AGENTS THIS

COULD DO THE WORK OF 700 PEOPLE.

BIG LAYOFFS.

THEN THEY REALIZED THOSE PEOPLE

HAD HUMAN TOUCHES THAT THEY

NEED.

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION DROPPED

AND THEY HIRED BACK A LOT OF

THOSE PEOPLE AND RETRAINED THEM.

>> INTERESTING.

>> THIS BOOMERANG, BUT COMPANIES

HAVE TO MOVE FASTER NOW.

THE IDEA OF BRINGING BACK PEOPLE

WHO GET YOUR CULTURE, UNDERSTAND

HOW TO MOVE, THIS IS LIKE AN

ACCEPTANCE OF YOU WERE HERE

ONCE, COME BACK AND JOIN US AND

GET US TO THE NEXT LEVEL.

>> SPEAKING OF ACCEPTANCE, I WAS

READING THAT YOU SAY EVEN ON THE

COLLEGE LEVEL, THE COLLEGES ARE

LEANING INTO IT.

FOR A LONG TIME WE WERE LIKE NO,

NO, NO.

>> NOW COLLEGES ARE LIKE, YES,

YES, YES.

A LOT OF LIBERAL ARTS DEGREES

ARE BEING COMBINED WITH A.I.

SO YOU'RE SEEING SCHOOLS LIKE

USC, PURDUE, SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF

ARTS AND DESIGN STARTING TO

COMBINE A.I. WITH TRADITIONAL

LIBERAL ARTS DEGREES AND

PHILOSOPHY AND BUSINESS DESIGN

DOING DEGREES LIKE APPLIED A.I.

OR A.I. FOR DESIGN WHERE YOU'RE

NOT BUILDING LARGE LANGUAGE

MODELS BUT LEARNING HOW TO USE

A.I. TO CHANGE WHATEVER INDUSTRY

YOU'RE GOING INTO, WHATEVER

FIELD OF WORK YOU WANT TO GO

INTO.

WE'VE SEEN A 70% INCREASE IN

JOBS THAT REQUIRED A.I. LITERACY

SKILLS.

EMPLOYERS ARE DEMANDING THIS NOW

AND COLLEGES SAYING WE ARE THERE

FOR YOU.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE 18 YEARS

FOR THIS.

THERE'S CONTINUING EDUCATION

COURSES.

THESE A.I. COURSES ARE CRITICAL

AND COLLEGES ARE STARTING TO

DESIGN PROGRAMS AROUND IT.

>> PREDICTING THE RISE ON ITS

FACE SOUNDS DANGEROUS,

BIOHACKING.

>> HAVE YOU SEEN THAT NETFLIX

DOCUMENTARY DON'T DIE?

THIS IS LIKE THESE PEOPLE AT THE

FRINGE WHO ARE USING SCIENCE TO

BE ABLE TO SAY I CAN LIVE -- NO

REASON FOR ME TO DIE.

I'M GOING TO LIVE FOREVER.

A LOT OF PRODUCTS THEY USE ARE

BECOMING MAINSTREAM NEXT YEAR.

>> LIKE WHAT?

>> MEASURE YOUR BLOOD SUGAR

LEVELS OR SLEEP TRACKING.

IT GOES BEYOND THAT.

ORDERING ANY LAB TEST YOU WANT

SO YOU CUT YOUR DOCTOR OUT, GET

THE LAB TEST, DO THESE RESULTS

AND UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON

IN YOUR BODY AND THEN START

APPLYING IT TO EXTEND YOUR LIFE

SPAN FOR A FEW YEARS OR MAYBE

FOREVER

>> WOW.

>> THIS IS EXPECTED TO BE A $63

BILLION BUSINESS BY 2035.

THAT'S LIKE 3 X WHERE IT IS

TODAY.

IT'S ALL GOING TO BE DRIVEN BY

CONSUMERS STARTING TO TAKE HOLD

OF THEIR OWN, YOU KNOW, LIFE

SPAN.

>> YEAH.

CRAIG TOLD ME HE'S GOT A BIO

LACK TO MAKE LIFE SEEM LONGER,

GET MARRIED.

>> THAT IS NOT WHAT CRAIG SAID.

THAT IS NOT.

THE OPPOSITE IS TRUE.

>> I MISUNDERSTOOD.

>> YOU DID.

>> THE OPPOSITE.

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.