January 2026 Organisational News
Companies that cited AI for layoffs slash tens of thousands of jobs in 2025. Storyboard18, January 1, 2026.
Layoffs have dominated the job market in 2025, with major corporations across technology and professional services citing artificial intelligence as a key factor behind workforce reductions, according to consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, which reported that AI accounted for nearly 55,000 job cuts in the United States in 2025.
2026 workplace trends: EDI reckoning and the end of the RTO debate by Freddie Clemo. People Management, January 5, 2026.
Experts predict improving productivity will be a defining challenge over the next 12 months, as organisations grapple with a cooling labour market and further AI advancements.
McKinsey CEO Bob Sternfels says the firm now has 60,000 employees: 25,000 of them are AI agents by Lakshmi Varanasi. Business Insider, January 12, 2026.
McKinsey now counts 25,000 AI agents as part of its workforce. The firm says nearly every human consultant will soon work alongside one or more digital agents. The change is redefining workplace culture, what it means to be a consultant, and how the firm competes.
My blog examines what this means for the future of work. Click here for the blog article on this news story.
The list of companies laying off staff this year includes Citi and Angi, with dozens of others like Meta warning of job cuts by BI staff. Business Insider, January 13, 2026.
A BI Staff report listing the companies in 2026 that are reducing staff due to artificial intelligence, public policy, and broader economic conditions in the business landscape.
A return to office for men only? by Gleb Tsipursky. The Hill, Washington Post, 13 January, 2026.
Fresh labour data reveal a gendered return to the office, raising urgent questions about proximity bias, flexibility and whether post-pandemic work is entrenching new forms of inequality.
Welcome to the era of the megamanager by Juliana Kaplan. Business Insider, 14 January, 2026.
The great middle-manager flattening is accelerating, leaving fewer leaders responsible for ever-larger teams. As spans of control widen, new research suggests burnout and disengagement will rise unless organisations rethink how they support managers.
Sadiq Khan to urge ministers to act over ‘colossal’ impact of AI on London jobs by Julia Kollwe. The Guardian, 15 January, 2026.
London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, to warn ministers that AI could lead to technological unemployment without urgent action. In a Mansion House speech, he will highlight the risk of mass unemployment alongside the technology’s opportunities.
My blog examines what technological unemployment means for the future of work. Click here for an analysis on this news story.
Young workers most worried about AI affecting jobs, Randstad survey shows by Reuters. Reuters, 20 January, 2026.
Four in five workers believe artificial intelligence is going to impact their daily tasks at the workplace, with Gen Z among those most concerned as companies increasingly rely on AI chatbots and automation, a survey conducted by Randstad showed on Tuesday.
More than a quarter of Britons say they fear losing jobs to AI in next five years by Joanna Partridge. The Guardian, 25 January, 2026.
More than a quarter (27%) of UK workers are worried their jobs could disappear in the next five years as a result of AI, according to a survey of thousands of employees.
Universal basic income could be used to soften hit from AI job losses in UK, minister say by Lauren Almeida. Guardian, 29 January, 2026.
The UK may need to consider a universal basic income to protect workers displaced by artificial intelligence, according to investment minister Jason Stockwood, as warnings grow over AI-driven job losses and social disruption.