The scariest word this year for workers from DC to Silicon Valley

"It's CEOs' favorite buzzword and white-collar workers' nightmare fuel. "efficency" defined the 2025 job market from the federal government to Silicon Valley. For business and political leaders, it has become a catch-all term to signal they're leaning into AI, streamlining their workforce, and boosting productivity. A smaller bureaucracy is en vogue and increasing shareholder value was the year's hottest trend."

"With high interest rates, stubborn inflation, and steep tariff costs, businesses are looking for ways to balance their budgets - sparking a wave of layoffs across companies like Dell, AT&T, Verizon, and more. The White House Department of Government Efficiency launched an overhaul of the government workforce, providing an especially stark example of the efficiency push to the private sector. Chatbots, meanwhile, are becoming increasingly competent at coding, writing, and basic administrative tasks. It's culminating in tenuous job security and widespread hiring freezes, especially among college-educated office workers."

The 'efficiency' motto shaped hiring and staffing decisions across sectors in 2025, prompting layoffs and hiring freezes from Big Tech to the federal workforce. Businesses faced high interest rates, stubborn inflation, and steep tariff costs, leading cost-cutting measures and workforce reductions at companies such as Dell, AT&T, and Verizon. The White House Department of Government Efficiency implemented an overhaul of the government workforce, reinforcing corporate trends. Rapid advances in chatbots and AI elevated automation of coding, writing, and administrative tasks, increasing job insecurity for college-educated office workers. Some workers pursue reskilling, while others struggle to meet accelerating expectations and dwindling opportunities.

Read at Business Insider