This essay offers three predictions for U.S. labor markets: (1) Work from home (WFH) is here to stay. Over the next five years, I anticipate a modest rise in the WFH rate. (2) AI will not drive large-scale job losses over the next ten years. (3) To the extent that AI displaces some jobs (while creating others), it will bring less economic hardship and dislocation than suggested by U.S. experience with the loss of manufacturing jobs.

More on this topic

BFI Working Paper·Feb 10, 2026

How Does AI Distribute the Pie? Large Language Models and the Ultimatum Game

Douglas K.G. Araujo and Harald Uhlig
Topics: Technology & Innovation
BFI Working Paper·Feb 10, 2026

The Effect of Exposure: Evidence from Spatial Choices in Nairobi

Joshua Dean, Gabriel Kreindler, and Oluchi Mbonu
Topics: Employment & Wages
BFI Working Paper·Feb 2, 2026

Managers and the Cultural Transmission of Gender Norms

Virginia Minni, Kieu-Trang Nguyen, Heather Sarsons, and Carla Srebot
Topics: Employment & Wages