A growing number of employers are using AI proficiency as a factor in performance reviews, bonuses, and promotions, and some have fired workers who didn't complete AI training. Workers are complying, but many are questioning what's in it for them.
Accenture CEO Julie Sweet has told employees that demonstrating AI use is required for promotion. Disney, Meta, JP Morgan, and KPMG have introduced AI leaderboards tracking employee usage. Coinbase fired engineers who didn't complete AI training as requested by its CEO.
A senior executive at a large consultancy described a two-tier workforce forming around AI fluency: "AI fluency beats credentials every day. Somebody that has 15, 20 years of experience and no AI fluency will be passed over."
75% of UK jobseekers surveyed by Gi Group said AI proficiency requirements in performance reviews would not deter them from applying to a company; 22% said it would be off-putting.
Duolingo and Amazon have both pulled back from AI usage metrics after finding employees were logging AI interactions or completing unnecessary tasks simply to hit the numbers.
A researcher at Henley Business School warned that mandating AI use as a KPI measures adoption, not judgment: "You have not made people more skilled. You have made them more obedient."
Read more via BBC
As employers increasingly screen for AI experience and fluency, job seekers are learning to perform enthusiasm for the technology whether they feel it or not. Some are taking AI courses specifically to have examples to discuss in interviews. Others are carefully reading the room on how much AI skepticism is safe to express.
AI skills are appearing in more job postings, and companies investing most heavily in AI tend to show more employment growth, according to a study by Ramp and Revelio Labs.
Hiring managers want to understand how candidates have used AI, including specific examples of overcoming challenges or streamlining processes, according to Robert Half vice president Kareem Osman.
One laid-off software developer told Business Insider she felt pressure to sound enthusiastic about AI during interviews despite concerns about its environmental and social impact: "I have to make up something about what excites me about AI because, frankly, nothing really excites me about AI."
Hiring experts say candidates can be honest about reservations while focusing on areas where they're comfortable using the technology, but one HR analyst cautioned: if you tell a recruiter you don't believe in AI, "you may have just lost your opportunity to get a job there."
Read more via Business Insider
The New York Fed's latest Survey of Consumer Expectations shows Americans are as negative about the overall job market as they've been since the depths of the pandemic, even as they feel increasingly secure in their own positions.
Survey respondents put average odds that the unemployment rate will be higher a year from now at 44.4% in August, the highest since April 2020.
At the same time, perceived odds of losing their own job fell to 13.8%, the lowest since February, and perceived odds of voluntarily quitting rose, a sign of personal confidence.
The Conference Board's July consumer confidence index showed a similar split: the present situation index rose 6.8 points to 121.2, while the expectations index fell 5.8 points to 68.2.
Read more via Axios
Fewer than half of corporate and HR decision-makers believe today's curriculum prepares students for real-world work, according to Battelle's inaugural Applied Workforce Outlook, a national survey of more than 3,600 employers, educators, students, parents, and opinion leaders. By contrast, 80% of high school educators and 85% of higher education educators believe current curriculum does prepare students.
Employers increasingly prioritize critical thinking, communication, and adaptability over traditional credentials.
Respondents across groups agreed that workforce readiness requires stronger partnerships among schools, employers, and families.
Read more via Business Wire
A new Harvard study finds that unemployed women who use GLP-1 medications for weight loss return to work faster than those who don't, with employment rates rising 13 percentage points overall and 27 percentage points after six or more quarters. Weekly hours also rise by nearly ten hours at the longer horizon.
The study did not find a professional advantage for employed women already in jobs, suggesting the effect is concentrated at the point of re-entry rather than on the job.
More than 10% of people in the U.S. currently take GLP-1s for weight loss, and unequal access to the drugs could shape the social penalties associated with body size going forward.
As the cost of GLP-1s rises, some companies are cutting coverage, potentially widening that access gap.
If someone loses weight and feels more confident, they may carry themselves differently, make more eye contact, or be more willing to put themselves out there."
Read more via HR Brew, Women’s Health
GLP-1 coverage for weight management is shrinking among U.S. employers, with 14% having already dropped or planning to drop coverage by 2027, up from 10% earlier this year, according to a Business Group on Health survey of 127 employers representing 8.7 million covered individuals.
Overall coverage of GLP-1s for obesity fell from 72% in 2025 to 60% in 2026.
Brand-name injectable GLP-1 drugs typically cost between $1,000 and $1,500 a month, with employers covering 70% to 100% of that cost.
Pharmacy now represents 25% of employers' total healthcare spend, and employer drug costs are estimated to rise 12% in 2026.
Healthcare cost increases for 2027 are projected at a median of 9.2%, with Aon estimating average per-employee spending will top $19,000.
Starbucks recently announced it will no longer cover GLP-1s prescribed for weight loss for benefits-eligible employees starting in October.
At the end of the day, the biggest issue is cost. GLP-1s work, employees want them, and they're extremely expensive."
Read more via SHRM
