Snapshot of the day | Machines replaced blue-collar jobs, AI replacing white-collar careers?
Hey there! Welcome to the first of many daily musings where I dive into a chart or quote that piques my curiosity. It’s all about keeping things sharp, simple, and fun—whether it’s a nugget from economics, healthcare, or just a random fact from my hobbies. I’ll break it down, throw in a few thoughts, and leave you with ideas on how we can use it. Let’s get to it!
Ever since I took ChatGPT for a spin, I’ve been wondering how it’s going to reshape white-collar work. I don’t have a crystal ball, but this chart from the Financial Times offers a sneak peek.
We’re seeing a big shift: blue-collar jobs like cleaning, retail, and manufacturing are on the rise—booming, in fact. On the flip side, those desk-jockey roles in software development, marketing, and media? They’ve taken a nosedive, down by as much as 42%.
Perhaps it’s no coincidence that the #Desperate banner coined by Courtney is making waves in LinkedIn (winning 220k likes and counting), inspiring many to replacing the more chilled #OpenToWork banner.

So, what does this mean for me?
- Upgrade my AI game: As Prof. Fei-Fei Li famously said, AI won’t replace humans, but humans using AI will. So, I will keep learning new use cases of Gen AI and mastering the art of asking the right questions. As Voltaire said, judge a man by his questions rather than his answers. I bet future job interviews will value more on the questions you ask.
- Get back to basics: I’m diving back into foundational skills—hello, math challenges! I believe keeping my brain sharp with core (and timeless) concepts like math and science will give me better intuition to solve problems, so it is a solid way to stay grounded in this tech-driven world.
- Stay real, stay me: I know I’m unique and no AI can truly simulate my thoughts and feelings. To keep that edge, I’ll need to write more—because writing makes me think, and thinking makes me, well, me. Authenticity is my superpower, and I plan to wield it. In fact, today’s writing was my effort to become more authentic. Do you think AI will replace more white-collar jobs in the future? What are you going to do about it? I’d love to hear your thoughts on today’s snapshot!