Artificial intelligence continued to reshape the workplace in 2025, creating mixed results for workers worldwide. While some new, high-paying jobs emerged for AI specialists, entry-level positions in offices disappeared at a faster pace than expected. Young workers aged 22 to 25 faced the biggest challenges, with early-career job postings dropping by 13 percent since 2022. The year saw over 55,000 AI-related layoffs, with companies cutting staff to become leaner and faster. Many workers reported feeling burned out and anxious about their jobs, a condition experts called 'quiet cracking,' where employees stayed in their positions despite unhappiness. At the same time, some research suggested that jobs most exposed to AI were actually growing, with wage increases of 3.8 percent for workers in AI-heavy roles compared to 0.7 percent for other jobs. The contradiction reflected a labor market in dramatic flux: entire career paths were being destroyed while new ones emerged, leaving workers uncertain about their future and employers scrambling to understand how this technology would reshape their workforce.

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