They’re Saying It Out Loud Now – Under the Radar January 30, 2026

Bottom Line Up Front

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell admitted it on January 28: “Some connection it appears between low hiring rate for recent college grads and AI.” Three days earlier, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva called AI “a tsunami hitting the labor market.” And on January 26, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published a 20,000-word essay warning that 50% of entry-level white-collar jobs will be eliminated within one to five years, creating what he called an “unemployed or very-low-wage underclass.”

This isn’t speculation anymore. The people who build AI systems, who regulate the economy, who track global markets. They’re confirming what this newsletter has been documenting for months. Entry-level work is disappearing. And nobody running the system has a plan for what happens next.

The same week these admissions landed, Amazon announced 16,000 layoffs while pursuing a $50 billion investment in OpenAI. UPS announced 30,000 additional cuts (on top of 48,000 in 2025), explicitly citing Amazon’s shift to automated delivery. OpenAI is raising up to $100 billion at a potential $830 billion valuation. Anthropic doubled its fundraising to $20 billion.

Infrastructure spending accelerates. Jobs vanish. And two questions remain unanswered: Without entry-level jobs, where do workers turn? Without workers earning wages, where does the money to fund the economy come from?

Nobody – not economists, not policymakers, not AI company CEOs – has figured this out. This week’s intelligence shows why individual career advice, no matter how good, cannot solve a structural problem.

THIS WEEK’S DEVELOPMENTS

Anthropic CEO: “Unusually Painful” Disruption Coming

Dario Amodei’s January 26 essay “The Adolescence of Technology” contains the most specific timeline yet from an AI company leader about job displacement:

Entry-Level White Collar: 50% eliminated within 1-5 years

Software Engineers: Obsolete in 6-12 months (he reiterated this at Davos the week prior)

The Pattern: “AI is a general labor substitute for humans”. Not replacing single jobs but entire categories simultaneously

At Anthropic itself, 90% of code is now AI-written. The company’s Claude Cowork tool was almost entirely written by Claude itself. Amodei projects this becoming standard across the industry within months, not years.

His proposed solutions reveal the problem’s scale:

Progressive taxation on AI firms (3% of revenues)
Government intervention required
Universal Basic Income “only a small part of solution”
Companies should prioritize “innovation hiring” over cost cuts

But companies are doing the opposite. The same week Amodei published his warning, Amazon announced 16,000 cuts while pursuing $50B in OpenAI investment. Capital flows toward automation. Workers get eliminated.

Amodei’s conclusion: this will create “a crisis of meaning for the global workforce” and risks “a level of wealth concentration that will break society.”

Sources: CNBC, Fortune, Financial Content, WebProNews (Jan 26-29)

Federal Reserve Admits AI Affecting Entry-Level Hiring

Fed Chair Jerome Powell, January 28, 2026:

“We may see in short-term jobs eliminated by AI capabilities, don’t know the overall effect.”

“Some connection it appears between low hiring rate for recent college grads and AI.”

This is the Federal Reserve Chairman acknowledging what workers already know: the entry rungs of the economic ladder are disappearing.

Goldman Sachs economist David Mericle (who previously co-authored research on AI driving “jobless growth”) predicted Monday that net job losses in AI-exposed industries will “increase meaningfully” in 2026.

Mercer’s Global Talent Trends 2026 report: 40% of employees fear losing jobs to AI, up from 28% in 2024.

MIT study (November 2025): AI can already do the job of 11.7% of the U.S. labor market, potentially saving $1.2 trillion in wages across finance, healthcare, and professional services.

Source: Financial Juice, MIT research, Mercer report

UPS: 78,000 Jobs Gone in Amazon’s Wake

United Parcel Service announced January 27 it will eliminate 30,000 additional operational roles in 2026, on top of 48,000 cut in 2025. Total: 78,000 jobs through early 2026.

The explicit reason: Amazon volume decline as Amazon builds its own automated delivery infrastructure.

CFO Brian Dykes: “We expect to reduce operational positions by up to 30,000” as part of winding down Amazon partnership. The company is targeting $3 billion in savings from the “Amazon glide down.”

The automation cascade:

Amazon automates delivery → displaces UPS workers
UPS responds by automating further → displaces more of its own workers
Both companies eliminate jobs while claiming “efficiency gains”

UPS closing 24 facilities in first half of 2026, with more closures possible. The company explicitly said it will “further deploy automation across its network.”

The stock market rewarded this. UPS shares rose 4% on the announcement.

The pattern: One company’s automation triggers another company’s workforce cuts, which triggers more automation, which triggers more cuts. Workers at every stage get eliminated. Nobody asks where they go next.

Sources: CNBC, NBC News, Washington Post, TheStreet, AOL (Jan 27-29)

The Layoff Math vs. The Investment Math

Jobs Eliminated (through Jan 29):

Amazon: 16,000 roles
UPS: 30,000 (plus 48,000 in 2025)
Meta: 1,000-1,500 (Reality Labs)
Citigroup: 1,000+ (more coming March)
Total tracked: 61,650+ positions

Capital Flowing Into AI (same period):

Amazon → OpenAI: Up to $50B investment talks
OpenAI fundraising round: Up to $100B, potential $830B valuation
Anthropic: Doubled VC fundraising to $20B
NVIDIA → CoreWeave: $2B investment
Microsoft: New AI chip to reduce NVIDIA reliance

Employment indicators:

ADP weekly: 7,750 new jobs (forecast was 8,000)
BLS December 2025: Only 50,000 jobs added (weakest since 2020)
Long-term unemployed (27+ weeks): 1.9 million, up 397,000 over the year

Infrastructure investment accelerates while employment collapses. The people building the systems admit it’s happening. The people displaced by the systems have nowhere to go.

Sources: Financial Juice alerts, TrueUp layoffs tracker, BLS, ADP

IMF Managing Director: “Tsunami Hitting the Labor Market”

Kristalina Georgieva, January 23: “AI is like a tsunami hitting the labor market.”

Not “might be.” Not “could become.” Is.

The head of the International Monetary Fund, the organization that tracks global economic stability, using disaster metaphor for what’s happening to workers right now.

Source: Financial Juice alert (Jan 23)

Platform Consolidation Continues

Microsoft: Unveiled new AI chip to reduce NVIDIA dependence (Jan 26). Building infrastructure to control entire stack.

Google: AI Plus rollout (Jan 27), while EU opens Digital Markets Act probe into search and data sharing practices.

Meta: CFO said “2026 AI investments will drive ads gains.” CEO Zuckerberg: AI glasses sales tripled. Company cutting Reality Labs while increasing AI ad spending.

NVIDIA partnerships: Announced Mercedes-Benz robotaxi collaboration (Jan 29), $2B investment in CoreWeave infrastructure.

Blackstone: Mulling debt commitment to Oracle Michigan Stargate data center project (Jan 28). Financial backing for infrastructure even community resistance grows.

The platforms are consolidating control while workers get displaced. The infrastructure gets built. The jobs disappear. The money flows upward. Rent-seeking increases.

Sources: Financial Juice alerts (Jan 26-29)

China: 400,000+ H200 Chips Approved, Then DeepSeek Gets Conditional Nod

January 28: China approved orders for over 400,000 NVIDIA H200 chips.

January 30: China gives DeepSeek conditional nod for H200 chips.

After the customs block, after proving domestic alternatives work, China is now selectively allowing H200 imports. On their terms, for their purposes.

The pattern continues: China controls which technology enters, develops domestic alternatives simultaneously, captures manufacturing value chains while U.S. captures design revenue only.

Sources: Financial Juice alerts (Jan 28, 30)

TOP 5 CAREER OPPORTUNITIES – JANUARY 30, 2026

This week’s confirmations from Fed Chair Powell, Anthropic’s CEO, and IMF leadership require reassessment. When software engineers face obsolescence in 6-12 months and 50% of entry-level white-collar work disappears in 1-5 years, career guidance must be honest about scale and limits.

Critical context before rankings:

Individual career intelligence helps those with capability, resources, and time to act. It does not and cannot solve structural unemployment. When entry-level positions disappear across entire sectors simultaneously, retraining and “upskilling” work for some people. Not for most.

Healthcare cannot absorb millions of displaced workers. Skilled trades are facing automation within 2-3 years (China’s humanoid robots, other robotics partnerships). The positions that remain require credentials, time, and money many displaced workers don’t have.

These rankings identify sectors holding longest under current conditions. They are not a solution to what’s happening. Policy intervention is needed. Progressive taxation, universal basic services, job guarantees, shortened work weeks. None of this is happening in the United States.

Use this intelligence if you can. Advocate for systemic solutions regardless.

Scoring Criteria Recap:

Each opportunity scored 0-100 across five factors:

Automation Resistance (0-25 points): How long before AI/robotics can effectively replace this work?
Barrier to Entry (0-20 points): Realistic for workers to enter? (Higher barriers = lower scores)
Labor Market Demand (0-20 points): Is there sustained hiring?
Income Stability (0-20 points): Can you actually support yourself?
Geographic Flexibility (0-15 points): Available across regions or concentrated?

Threshold: 70+ points to make the list. Below 70 = too fragile under current conditions.

1. Healthcare Direct Patient Care: 88/100 (Holding #1)

Why it’s #1:

Physical presence required (automation timeline: 5-10+ years minimum)
BLS projects 1.9 million healthcare openings annually through 2034
Aging population = sustained demand
Multiple entry points (CNA, LPN, RN, specialized tech roles)

Automation Resistance: 24/25

Amodei didn’t mention healthcare in displacement warnings
Patients prefer human contact for personal care
Liability/regulatory barriers slow automation adoption
Physical manipulation still difficult for robotics at scale

Barrier to Entry: 15/20

CNAs: 4-12 weeks, $500-1,500 (accessible)
LPNs: 12-18 months, $5,000-15,000 (moderate)
RNs: 2-4 years, $20,000-60,000 (higher but achievable with aid)
High emotional labor requirements (not everyone can do this work)

Labor Market Demand: 20/20

1.9 million openings/year is not marketing—it’s BLS projection
Every region showing shortages
Multiple specialties hiring continuously

Income Stability: 18/20

CNAs: $30,000-38,000 (survival wages in many markets)
LPNs: $48,000-58,000 (stable)
RNs: $70,000-95,000+ (solid middle class)
Overtime available, shift differentials

Geographic Flexibility: 11/15

Available everywhere, but pay varies dramatically by region
Urban areas pay more but cost more
Rural areas desperate but pay less

The Honest Limits:

Healthcare cannot absorb millions of displaced workers
Requires emotional resilience not everyone has
Burnout rates high (staffing shortages mean overwork)
Credentials take time/money displaced workers may not have
Certain roles (imaging tech, medical coding) already showing AI pressure

Who this works for: People with 6-18 months runway, capability for physical/emotional labor, ability to fund credentials or access aid.

Who this doesn’t work for: Millions of displaced workers simultaneously seeking entry. System doesn’t have capacity.

2. Skilled Trades + Clean Energy Specialization: 84/100 (Holding #2)

Why it’s #2:

Physical work in variable environments (harder to automate than office work)
Infrastructure buildout creating sustained demand
Multiple specializations available
Apprenticeship programs provide paid training

Automation Resistance: 22/25

Physical manipulation in non-standardized environments still challenging
BUT: China’s GrowHR humanoid robots demonstrate manual labor automation coming
NVIDIA partnerships with robotics companies (Mercedes, others) accelerating
Timeline: 2-3 years before significant pressure, 5-7 years before widespread displacement
Clean energy specialization adds buffer (new installations, evolving technology)

Barrier to Entry: 18/20

Union apprenticeships: Paid while learning (accessible)
Trade schools: 6 months-2 years, $5,000-20,000 (moderate)
Physical requirements exclude some workers
Age bias exists (harder to enter over 40)

Labor Market Demand: 19/20

Electricians: 81,000 openings/year, 9% growth (BLS)
HVAC: Sustained demand, clean energy transition driving specialization
Solar installers: 22% growth projected
Data center construction creating short-term demand (though those facilities aim to automate)

Income Stability: 17/20

Entry (apprentice): $35,000-45,000
Journeyman: $55,000-75,000
Master/specialized: $75,000-100,000+
Union jobs provide benefits, pensions
Non-union more variable

Geographic Flexibility: 8/15

Urban areas have more opportunities
Rural areas have needs but fewer jobs, lower pay
Clean energy concentrated in specific regions
May require relocation

The Honest Limits:

Automation coming within 2-3 years (not 5-10 like before)
Physical requirements exclude older workers, disabled workers
Union apprenticeships competitive (not everyone gets in)
Non-union work less stable, lower pay, fewer protections
Data center construction is temporary (those jobs end when facilities built)

Who this works for: Younger workers (under 40 preferred by many programs), physical capability, geographic flexibility, 6-12 months to enter through apprenticeship.

Who this doesn’t work for: Older workers facing age bias, those unable to do physical labor, those who can’t relocate, those needing immediate income.

3. Healthcare Data & Care Coordinators: 77/100 (Up from #4)

Why it’s rising:

ChatGPT Health and Claude Healthcare create MORE coordination complexity
AI handles data, humans handle human interfaces
Compliance/regulatory requirements keep humans in loop
Moderate barriers to entry

Automation Resistance: 20/25

AI creates need for these roles (paradox: automation creates coordination work)
Patient advocacy requires human judgment
Insurance navigation too complex for full automation
BUT: Amodei warns white-collar entry-level at risk
Timeline: 2-4 years before significant AI pressure

Barrier to Entry: 17/20

Many roles require only certification, not degrees
3-12 months training typical
$2,000-8,000 investment
Healthcare experience helpful but not always required
Some employers provide on-the-job training

Labor Market Demand: 18/20

52,000+ positions on Indeed
29% growth projected (BLS)
Aging population + AI complexity = sustained need
Multiple specializations (care coordination, patient navigation, data management)

Income Stability: 14/20

Entry: $35,000-45,000 (tight in many markets)
Experienced: $50,000-65,000 (stable)
Specialized: $65,000-80,000+ (comfortable)
Benefits typically included

Geographic Flexibility: 8/15

Concentrated in areas with large healthcare systems
Remote work possible for some roles (insurance verification, data management)
Rural areas have fewer opportunities
Urban/suburban primarily

The Honest Limits:

“White-collar entry-level” category Amodei says faces elimination
AI advancement could automate coordination tasks within 2-4 years
Requires comfort with bureaucracy, detail work (not everyone’s strength)
Income at entry level barely survival in high-cost areas
Burnout from navigating broken systems (insurance, medical bureaucracy)

Who this works for: People with healthcare interest but can’t do direct patient care, comfort with administrative complexity, moderate timeline (3-12 months training).

Who this doesn’t work for: Those needing high income immediately, those in low-cost-of-living areas where these jobs scarce, those who can’t handle bureaucratic systems.

4. AI/Cybersecurity Specialists: 73/100 (Down from #3 – MAJOR CAVEAT)

Critical Warning: Anthropic CEO says software engineers will be obsolete in 6-12 months. At Anthropic, 90% of code is AI-written. This suggests AI/Cybersecurity specialist roles face imminent pressure. This ranking is FRAGILE and may not hold through 2026.

Why it’s still (barely) on the list:

Security requires adversarial thinking AI hasn’t mastered
Compliance/audit roles require human judgment
Systems need human oversight (for now)
Companies still hiring (for now)

Automation Resistance: 16/25 (DOWN from previous)

Amodei: software engineers obsolete 6-12 months
AI writing 90% of Anthropic’s code already
Entry-level coding completely automated
Security roles might last slightly longer (adversarial complexity)
But timeline compressed dramatically: 12-18 months, not 3-5 years

Barrier to Entry: 12/20

Certifications: 6-18 months, $3,000-10,000
Bootcamps: 3-6 months, $10,000-20,000
Degree helpful but not always required for entry
Self-taught possible but harder to credential
HIGH competition for entry-level roles

Labor Market Demand: 18/20

Still hiring currently
Cybersecurity needs growing (breaches, compliance)
BUT: Entry-level positions disappearing fast
Companies want experienced workers, not new entrants
This gap is the warning sign

Income Stability: 17/20

Entry (IF you can get in): $55,000-75,000
Mid-level: $85,000-110,000
Senior: $120,000-160,000+
Remote work possible
Benefits strong

Geographic Flexibility: 10/15

Remote work makes this accessible
But competition is global (if remote, competing worldwide)
Urban tech hubs have most opportunities
Government/defense require clearance + location

The Honest Limits:

Amodei’s 6-12 month timeline for software engineers is a DEATH SENTENCE for this category
Entry-level positions already disappearing (companies want experienced, not training new)
Bootcamps oversaturated market (too many graduates, too few jobs)
AI writing code faster/cheaper than humans
Even security roles may automate faster than expected
This is the LAST cycle where this advice might work

Who this works for: People already in tech with some experience, ability to enter senior roles directly, specific security/compliance niches.

Who this doesn’t work for: Entry-level seekers (positions vanishing), career changers without tech background, those counting on this being stable 3-5 years (won’t be).

Recommendation: If you’re considering this path, move IMMEDIATELY or skip it entirely. The window is closing in months, not years.

5. Construction Technologists: 72/100 (Holding #5 – BARELY)

Why it’s still here:

Data center buildout, clean energy infrastructure creating demand
Technology + physical work hybrid (harder to fully automate)
Project management, BIM, site coordination require human oversight

Automation Resistance: 18/25

Physical + cognitive work combination resists full automation
BUT: Construction increasingly automated (robotics, prefab, AI design)
China’s humanoid robots target construction explicitly
Timeline: 3-5 years before major pressure

Barrier to Entry: 14/20

Trade background + tech training: 1-2 years
Certifications available (BIM, project management)
$5,000-15,000 investment typically
Requires both physical and technical capability

Labor Market Demand: 16/20

Infrastructure buildout creating opportunities
Data centers, clean energy, grid upgrades
BUT: Highly cyclical (construction booms/busts)
Projects temporary (data center built → jobs gone)

Income Stability: 15/20

Entry: $50,000-65,000
Experienced: $75,000-95,000
Senior/specialized: $100,000-120,000+
Cyclical income (busy periods + slow periods)

Geographic Flexibility: 9/15

Infrastructure projects specific locations
May require travel or relocation
Urban/suburban primarily
Project-based work (not permanent positions)

The Honest Limits:

Construction is HIGHLY cyclical (when recession hits, these jobs evaporate)
Data center construction is temporary (facilities get built, then what?)
Automation advancing in construction faster than most realize
Requires both physical capability AND technical skills (not everyone has both)
Projects end (not permanent employment)

Who this works for: People with construction background seeking tech specialization, geographic flexibility, ability to handle cyclical income.

Who this doesn’t work for: Those needing stable permanent employment, those without construction background, those unable to relocate for projects, those who need consistent income (not project-based).

DROPPED FROM TOP 5:

IT Support Specialists: BELOW THRESHOLD (68/100, down from 76/100 last week)

Anthropic CEO’s warning about software engineers obsolete in 6-12 months applies to IT support roles. ServiceNow + OpenAI partnership (covered in previous UTR) automates enterprise IT support completely. Entry-level help desk positions already being eliminated. Mid-level support roles under pressure within 12-18 months.

What this means: If you’re in IT support, start planning exit NOW. If you’re considering entering IT support, DON’T.

WHAT THE TOP 5 ACTUALLY TELLS YOU:

Five sectors, barely above threshold, with timelines compressing:

Healthcare patient care: 5-10 years (longest runway, but can’t absorb millions)
Skilled trades: 2-3 years (was 5-10, now compressed due to robotics)
Healthcare coordination: 2-4 years (AI creates complexity, then automates it)
AI/Cybersecurity: 6-18 months (Amodei’s warning is explicit)
Construction tech: 3-5 years (cyclical, temporary, automating)

Every single category has:

Limited capacity (can’t absorb displaced millions)
Barriers to entry (time, money, capability)
Compressed timelines (automation coming faster than predicted)
Geographic constraints (not available everywhere)

The uncomfortable truth: These rankings help individuals with runway and capability. They don’t solve structural unemployment. When 50% of entry-level white-collar work disappears in 1-5 years, individual career advice is insufficient.

Policy solutions exist: progressive taxation, universal basic services, job guarantees, shortened work weeks. Other countries implement these. The United States is not.

Use this intelligence if you can. Advocate for systemic change regardless. Don’t blame yourself for structural failure.

CAREER INTELLIGENCE SKILLS – WEEK 8

What To Do When Individual Solutions Don’t Exist

This week requires different guidance than previous weeks. When the Federal Reserve Chairman admits AI is affecting entry-level hiring, when Anthropic’s CEO warns 50% of entry-level white-collar jobs disappear in 1-5 years, when UPS eliminates 78,000 jobs explicitly because Amazon automated—individual career advice cannot solve what’s happening.

This is structural unemployment. It requires systemic solutions. Those solutions exist. Other countries prove it. The United States is not implementing them.

Here’s what you need to understand:

The Three-Level Reality:

Level 1: Individual Actions (What You CAN Control)

If you have 12+ months financial runway:

Enter healthcare credentials programs (if capable and willing)
Enter skilled trades apprenticeships (if under 40, physically able)
Move to public sector employment if possible
Build position serving essential local needs (can’t be automated/outsourced)

If you DON’T have runway:

Take any stable job available NOW (stable > prestigious)
Build savings aggressively (even $50/month matters)
Don’t quit current employment to “retrain” (can’t retrain while starving)
Network locally (mutual aid matters when systems fail)

Everyone:

Assess your actual risk using Week 7 checklist
Calculate your financial buffer realistically
Identify what skills transfer outside your current employer’s tools
Plan but don’t panic

Level 2: Systemic Solutions (What SHOULD Exist)

These work in other countries. They’re not happening in the US, but knowing what’s possible matters for advocacy:

Progressive Taxation: 3% tax on AI company revenues (Anthropic CEO’s own recommendation)

Universal Basic Services: Not just income. Healthcare, housing, education as public goods

Shortened Work Weeks: Distribute remaining work (30-hour weeks maintain employment)

Worker Ownership: Profit-sharing in industries being automated

None of this is radical. European countries have worker protections. Singapore has SkillsFuture continuous education funding. The US has Warner-Hawley (just reporting requirements with zero worker protection).

Level 3: The Reality Nobody’s Saying

Question 1: “Without entry-level jobs, where do workers turn?”

Honest answer: Most have nowhere to turn. Healthcare can’t absorb millions. Trades face automation in 2-3 years. The capacity doesn’t exist.

Question 2: “Without workers earning wages, where does the money to fund the economy come from?”

Honest answer: Nobody has figured this out. Not economists. Not policymakers. Not AI CEOs (even though Amodei admits government intervention is required).

The uncomfortable truth: When entry-level work disappears across multiple sectors simultaneously, individual career changes don’t scale. Retraining programs can’t handle millions. Bootcamps oversaturate markets. The economic ladder is missing its bottom rungs.

This is what structural unemployment looks like. It’s not individual failure. It’s systemic failure.

What You Actually Need To Do:

Immediate (This Week):

Assess your real timeline: Week 7 threat assessment checklist. Are you in immediate danger (6 months), near-term risk (12 months), or monitoring (longer)?
Calculate financial buffer: How many months can you survive unemployed? This determines your decision urgency.
Identify transferable skills: Can you list your skills without mentioning your employer’s tools/processes? If not, you’re more vulnerable.
Make ONE decision: Stay/adapt, plan exit, or execute exit immediately. Don’t try to do all three.

Short-term (This Month):

If staying in current role:
- Build savings aggressively. If you don’t have 6-12 months of emergency fund, we would recommend that’s where you start if you can.
- Document your work (what YOU do, not just company’s tools)
- Network internally (other departments, roles)
- Watch for automation deployment signals
If planning exit:
- Research realistic options (use Top 5 as starting point, not gospel)
- Calculate actual costs (credentials, time, foregone income)
- Identify barriers honestly (age, capability, geography, money)
- Build plan with specific milestones
If executing exit:
- Move quickly (timelines compressing)
- Take stable employment over “perfect” fit
- Maintain current income as long as possible while transitioning
- Don’t quit before you have next position secured

Long-term (Ongoing):

Build local networks: When systems fail, mutual aid matters. Know your neighbors. Join local organizations. Build relationships.
Advocate for policy: Even if it feels futile. Contact representatives. Support candidates backing worker protections. Vote for systemic solutions.
Share information: Your coworkers don’t know what’s coming. Sharing this newsletter, talking honestly, breaking isolation—these matter.
Don’t blame yourself: This is structural. Your individual career choices didn’t create this. Systemic solutions are needed. Their absence is policy failure, not your failure.

The Questions To Ask Yourself:

Financial Reality Check:

How many months unemployed can I survive? (Be brutal. Count actual savings, not optimistic projections.)
Do I have 12 months buffer? (If yes, you have time. If no, urgency increases.)
Can I access retraining funds/aid? (Be realistic about availability in your area.)

Capability Reality Check:

Can I physically do healthcare/trades work? (Honest assessment. Not everyone can.)
Do I have time/money for credentials? (12 months + $10,000 = many can’t.)
Am I in demographic preferred by employers? (Under 40 for trades, under 50 for most retraining.)

Market Reality Check:

Are opportunities actually available in my location? (Not everywhere has healthcare shortages, trade openings.)
Can I relocate? (Honest answer. Family, caregiving, resources limit mobility.)
Am I competing with thousands for same positions? (Oversaturation is real.)

The Decision Framework:

If you have runway + capability + opportunity = ACT NOW

Timelines compressing faster than predicted
Windows closing (AI/Cybersecurity particularly)
Earlier you move, more options available

If you have capability but NO runway = STABILIZE FIRST

Take stable job (any stable job)
Build buffer before career change
Can’t retrain while homeless

If you have runway but NO capability/opportunity = PREPARE DIFFERENTLY

Build savings
Network locally
Position for whatever emerges
Advocate for systemic solutions

If you have NEITHER runway nor clear opportunity = SURVIVAL MODE

Stable employment above all else
Build any savings possible
Community support networks
This is not your failure

What I Can Provide vs. What I Can’t:

What This Newsletter Provides:

Intelligence about what’s actually happening (not corporate PR)
Honest assessment of timelines (even when uncomfortable)
Specific guidance for those who can use it
Framework for understanding systemic problems

What This Newsletter Cannot Provide:

Solutions that don’t exist
Individual fixes for structural unemployment
Guarantee that any path will work
Certainty in unprecedented conditions

What I’m Committed To:

Honesty over optimism
Admitting limits rather than false hope
Distinguishing individual actions from systemic needs
Never blaming workers for system failures

The Uncomfortable Close:

Individual career advice helps 20-30% of people who have runway, capability, and opportunity. For the other 70%, systemic solutions are required: taxation, social programs, worker protections, job guarantees.

Those solutions exist. Other countries implement them. The United States is not. Nor are we prepared for the accelerated rate of implementation.

This is policy failure. Not individual failure.

I’ll continue providing intelligence for those who can use it. I’ll continue distinguishing what you can control from what requires systemic change. I won’t pretend retraining solves structural unemployment.

What you do with this information depends on your specific situation. Use the framework above. Make decisions based on reality, not hope. And advocate for change even when it feels futile.

Because the questions remain: Without entry-level jobs, where do workers turn? Without workers earning wages, where does the money come from?

Nobody has answered these. That’s the crisis.

SOURCES & METHODOLOGY

Complete Source List with URLs (Wayback Machine Archiving in process):

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei Warning:

UPS Layoffs:

Amazon Layoffs:

Comprehensive Layoff Tracking:

Federal Reserve / Economic Data:

Financial Juice Discord alert (Jan 28, 2026) – Powell quotes from FOMC press conference
BLS Employment Situation Summary (December 2025, released January 9, 2026)
ADP Weekly Employment Change (January 27, 2026)

IMF:

Financial Juice Discord alert (Jan 23, 2026) – Georgieva quote

Platform Developments (Financial Juice Discord Alerts):

Microsoft AI chip (Jan 26, 2026)
Google AI Plus rollout (Jan 27, 2026)
Meta CFO/CEO AI investments (Jan 28, 2026)
NVIDIA CoreWeave investment (Jan 26, 2026)
NVIDIA Mercedes robotaxis (Jan 29, 2026)
Blackstone Oracle Michigan (Jan 28, 2026)
Amazon OpenAI investment talks (Jan 29, 2026)
OpenAI fundraising round (Jan 29, 2026)
Anthropic fundraising (Jan 27, 2026)
China H200 chip approvals (Jan 28, Jan 30, 2026)

Research & Analysis:

MIT study on AI labor market impact (November 2025)
Mercer Global Talent Trends 2026 report
Goldman Sachs economist David Mericle analysis (January 2026)
Challenger Gray & Christmas layoff data

Employment Projections:

Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook (2024-2034 projections)
Indeed job postings data (January 2026)

Verification Methods:

Cross-referenced multiple sources for all factual claims
Used official government data (BLS, Fed) for employment statistics
Company statements from regulatory filings, earnings calls, official blogs
Real-time tracking through Financial Juice Discord alerts
Academic research (MIT, institutional studies) for projections

What’s Excluded:

Single-source reports without corroboration
Social media claims without verification
Speculation presented as fact
Optimistic projections without supporting data
Unverified rumors

Wayback Machine Archiving Status: All URLs above should be archived. Financial Juice Discord alerts are primary sources but not publicly accessible (subscriber service). All publicly accessible sources listed with full URLs for verification and archiving.

A NOTE ON THIS NEWSLETTER’S POSITION

The Open Record operates as an L3C (low-profit limited liability company) specifically structured to pursue workforce development and community benefit missions. This structure allows honest reporting that might not survive in ad-supported or VC-backed media.

I can say what others can’t because I don’t depend on tech company advertising, don’t need to maintain relationships with AI platforms for access, and don’t have investors demanding growth metrics over truth.

This newsletter serves workers navigating displacement. Not companies deploying automation. Not investors funding extraction. Workers.

When individual career advice becomes insufficient for structural problems, I’ll say so. When policy solutions exist but aren’t being implemented, I’ll document both. When nobody has answers to fundamental questions, I’ll admit it.

That’s the commitment. Honesty over optimism. Intelligence over reassurance. Systemic analysis over individual blame.

If this is useful, share it. If you disagree, argue in good faith. If you have better information, send it.

The questions remain unanswered: Without entry-level jobs, where do workers turn? Without workers earning wages, where does the money come from?

Until someone answers those, this newsletter will keep asking.

Next Issue: Friday, February 6, 2026

The intelligence continues. The questions persist. The system hasn’t responded.

We’ll be here documenting what happens next.

Under the Radar is published by The Open Record L3C. Career intelligence for workers navigating technological displacement. Honest analysis without corporate filter.

Related Publications:

PivotIntel Weekly: Infrastructure intelligence for communities (Sundays)
The Open Record: Investigative analysis of technology and economic change