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Topic hub

Workforce

How people find work, keep it and get paid for it is changing quickly. This hub brings together our reporting on the workforce: how artificial intelligence and automation are reshaping jobs, why the first rung of the career ladder is getting harder to reach, where layoffs and restructuring are hitting, and how remote, hybrid and gig work are changing the deal between employers and workers.

It also covers the data and institutions behind the labour market: how the workforce is counted, who is in it by age, sector and industry, and what public workforce agencies and local job centres do for people looking for work. Most of our coverage focuses on the United States, with growing reporting on the UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Asia.

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Four pieces that give the clearest overview of this topic.

AI and automation at work

22 articles

How artificial intelligence and automation are changing jobs, management and training, and how governments are responding.

Show all 22 articles in AI and automation at work

Graduate jobs, skills and training

24 articles

Entry-level jobs, graduate prospects, credentials, skilled trades and the training routes into work.

Show all 24 articles in Graduate jobs, skills and training

Layoffs and restructuring

11 articles

Job cuts, restructuring and what happens to workers and towns when employers shrink.

Show all 11 articles in Layoffs and restructuring

Remote, hybrid, gig and flexible work

9 articles

Remote and hybrid working, the gig economy, freelancing, part-time work and contracting.

Show all 9 articles in Remote, hybrid, gig and flexible work

Health, care and wellbeing at work

11 articles

Care work, nursing, sickness absence, older workers, caregivers and wellbeing at work.

Show all 11 articles in Health, care and wellbeing at work

Labour market data and statistics

35 articles

How the workforce is measured, who is in it, and the institutions that produce labour market information.

Show all 35 articles in Labour market data and statistics

Workforce agencies, programmes and benefits

19 articles

What workforce agencies and public programmes do, and how unemployment benefits work.

Show all 19 articles in Workforce agencies, programmes and benefits

Local job centres and workforce offices

35 articles

Plain guides to individual local workforce offices and job centres, mostly in Texas and the southern United States.

Show all 35 articles in Local job centres and workforce offices

HR and workforce management technology

18 articles

The scheduling, payroll and workforce management software employers use, and what it changes for staff.

Show all 18 articles in HR and workforce management technology

Latest updates

All Workforce articles

Common questions

Answered in our own articles. Open a question for a summary and a link to the full piece.

What Happens to a Company Town When the Company Stops Hiring? Ask Seattle

When a city's main industry stops growing, there is a certain kind of quiet that comes over it. It's not exciting. There are no slammed factory gates. The moment isn't marked by a single address. But the stores start to get quiet. There aren't many…

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What Oxford Researchers Found When They Tracked a Decade of Remote Work Data

The argument for remote work seemed almost idealistic for many years. With a laptop and a good internet connection, anyone, anywhere, could compete for the same jobs as someone in central London or midtown Manhattan. According to the story, geography was finally losing its significance.…

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What a Decade of Gig Economy Data Reveals About the Myth of Flexible Work

The pitch was straightforward and, to be honest, somewhat appealing. You can drive whenever you want. When you feel like it, deliver. When life gets in the way, log off. It sounded more like a lifeline than a job to millions of workers who were…

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What Three Years of Exit-Interview Data Reveal About Why Workers Really Quit

You'll notice something intriguing if you walk past the desks in any mid-sized office on the day of a resignation. The farewell card is distributed. An order is placed for the cake. The exit interview, a thirty-minute ritual that businesses have been conducting since 1916…

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Work Force Explained: Why Millions of Workers Don’t Even Count

Each month, a figure is released that influences interest rate decisions, moves stock markets, and, by lunchtime, appears in one hundred headlines. The jobs report is what reporters refer to it as. It is referred to by economists as the labor force. It makes sense…

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Work Groups Explained: The Hidden Teams Deciding America’s Labor Data Future

To be honest, it's probably best that most people never attend meetings of federal advisory committees. However, there are a few work groups operating within the Workforce Information Advisory Council that have an impact on nearly everyone, even if no one is aware of it.…

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By region

Articles in this hub grouped by the country or region they cover.

United States 77
Singapore and Asia 6
Australia and New Zealand 5
Canada 3
UK 2
Europe 1