Breaking Job News: Microsoft RTO, AI-Proof Careers, And Q4 Hiring Outlook

In this week’s Job Market News, host Pete Newsome breaks down the latest workplace trends and hiring insights. Microsoft has ordered employees back to the office at least three days a week, joining other major companies pushing return-to-office mandates.

We’ll also spotlight the careers considered most AI-proof, including jobs in healthcare and skilled trades, while emphasizing the importance of adaptability in an AI-driven workplace. Next, Pete discusses Q4 hiring projections, highlighting both challenges and opportunities for job seekers and employers. Finally, we explore the value of employee recognition in today’s competitive job market. Plus, a fun fact about a strange job from medieval times!

Tune in for the latest updates on return-to-office policies, AI-proof careers, hiring forecasts, and workplace culture trends.

New Articles:
1. Microsoft RTO: https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-send-employees-back-to-office-rto-remote-work-2025-9
2. AI-proof careers: https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-politics-professor-shares-jobs-least-likely-be-automated-2025-9
3. Q4 Hiring: https://www.staffingindustry.com/news/global-daily-news/employers-to-take-cautious-approach-to-hiring-in-q4
4. Employee recognition: https://blog.rewardian.com/praise-in-the-age-of-ai-what-employees-really-think-about-recognition

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Episode Transcript

Pete Newsome (00:03):
Today's job market headlines include AI-proof jobs
, hiring, projections for Q4,and the value of employee
recognition in an AI world.
But first Microsoft isofficially sending employees
back to the office.
Starting in February, employeeswithin 50 miles of a company
office are required to be onsite at least three days a week.
They have Fridays designated asa remote day.

(00:24):
This news was deliveredyesterday in a company-wide
email.
It emphasized each businesswill do what is best for their
team.
Now this means some groups willhave stricter policies, some
will have looser than thebaseline of three days it's been
established.
But that to me sounds like adisaster in the making.
I mean, you have people who arealready pissed at this news and
now it's going to be even worse.

(00:44):
They're going to be more upsetwhen some groups are getting
better outcomes from this thanothers.
Now Microsoft is making thismove after a bunch of other big
companies have done it Amazon,google, nbcuniversal, paramount
just in the last couple of days,they've all made recent RTO
announcements and they'rechanging their policies, and I

(01:05):
think that is just an awfulthing to do.
If someone had been hired for aremote job, to change it up on
them, that is just unrealistic,it is unfair and it's just awful
.
And these companies know thatpeople can't just pick up stakes
and move, so in many ways itsounds like it's a layoff and a

(01:26):
reduction of staff withoutactually claiming it as such,
and I think that makes it evenmore shady and even worse.
So so much for flexibility.
It sounds like that is quicklybecoming a thing of the past for
many large employers.
In other news, business Insidershares careers considered the
safest bet if you're worriedabout AI taking your job.
This comes from a politics ofAI professor at Syracuse

(01:47):
University.
She argues that care jobs likenursing, primary and nursery
school teaching are the leastlikely to be automated, and the
reason is they rely on empathy,judgment, social connection
elements that AI simply can'tmimic at least not yet.
Hopefully no time soon.
She also encourages trades as acareer.

(02:07):
We hear about that a lot lately, relatively AI proof, at least
for the foreseeable future, butshe highlights advanced
manufacturing roles as safe bets.
I disagree with that.
I think anything in automationis a bad choice to go into right
now, or specifically anythingthat could be automated by AI or
robots, not just today, but ayear from now, five years from

(02:28):
now.
Things are changing so rapidlyI would assume the worst and
then act accordingly.
Now.
She also said that, as AI takesover professions, adaptability
will matter just as much asinitial job choice, and I agree
with that too.
It's an important message,especially for anyone who's
young, because we just don'tknow exactly where ai is taking

(02:48):
us, or do we know how fast we'llget there.
So it's critical to stay on topof anything that could impact
your profession again, not justfor tomorrow, but for the years
in advance, so pay closeattention to what's on the
horizon.
It's much easier said than done, I realize that, so I'll
continue to share updates andnews as soon as I see it.
Next, according to staffingindustry analysts, global hiring

(03:11):
is slowing, but not stopping,as employers shift from growth
mode to caution in Q4.
And this comes from a manpowergroup survey that showed 45% of
employers worldwide plan to holdheadcount steady in Q4 2025.
So that's relatively good news.
We're surrounded by a lot ofbad right now, so we'll take it.
38% expect to add jobs and 15%anticipate cuts.

(03:32):
So that gives a net employmentoutlook of 23%, and that's
slightly down from Q3, but notby too much.
One thing I found surprisingand contradictory in this survey
was that 46% of the employerssay they struggle to attract
qualified talent.
That just doesn't make sense tome right now.
It is very much an employer'smarket, unfortunately, we know

(03:54):
that, and almost half arestruggling to find talent.
It just doesn't seem to line up.
It makes me question whatthey're doing and, to some
degree, the validity of thesurvey as a whole and our final
headline.
Today, in a new national surveyof 1,000 US workers from
Rewardian, 83% said recognitionmatters more than ever as AI

(04:14):
becomes entrenched in how wework.
That's to be expected, I mean.
Recognition is always somethingthat employees value.
But what I found reallysurprising is that 60% also said
AI delivered recognition isjust as meaningful as if it came
from a manager.
What the hell is that about?

(04:40):
Think about that for a secondAI recognition that is automated
and is driven by some triggerthat is far from personal, that
is not as meaningful asrecognition coming from an
actual human.
Let's not confuse those things.
I mean just a really weird statfor me to see from this survey.
Also in the survey, two-thirdsof the respondents said AI is
helping them feel less stressedand more supported.

(05:01):
I hope that's because AI ishelping them with their jobs and
not because they're derivingemotional support from AI.
And then, finally, 76% saidtheir company is transparent
about how AI impacts performanceand culture.
So that's good to see.
I mean, most of these employeesfeel that their employers are
being transparent.
That's just always a positiveand something I think is very,

(05:24):
very important, especially inthese times of constant change
and a lot of bad news coming.
Always communicate with yourteams and keep them in the loop
wherever possible.
I'll take that as good news.
And then our fun fact for theday before we go the term
whipping boy.
It was actually a job thatexisted In medieval times.
A prince would have a whippingboy who was punished in his

(05:46):
place for his misdeeds.
How inhumane is that?
Hey, if nothing else, we'veevolved past those days, to say
the least.
So that is also some good newsfor the day.
So thank you for listening.
Please like, subscribe, sharewith anyone who you think might
be interested, and if you havecomments, I'd love to hear those
too.
Talk to you soon.