America’s job market looks strong. So why is it so difficult to find work? - CNN

Oh, what a treat. America's job market is 'strong' — the payroll numbers say so, and numbers never lie, do they? Unless you happen to be one of the many actual humans trying to find work, in which case you're experiencing a 'disconnect' between the rosy statistics and the grim reality of competing with both federal workers shown the door and software that never sleeps. The article helpfully notes that automation has added more candidates, because nothing says 'strong labour market' like having to out-apply an AI bot for a data-entry gig you're overqualified for. It's the best of times for the spreadsheets, apparently.

The truly delicious bit is the federal workforce cuts — because of course the government decided to 'streamline' by booting thousands of workers into an already crowded pool, then patted itself on the back for fiscal responsibility. The article uses phrases like 'more candidates chasing fewer opportunities' with the same matter-of-fact tone a weather report uses for 'rain likely.' One almost expects a cheerful sign-off: 'Good luck out there, and don't forget to update your LinkedIn profile — the algorithm is watching.'

Meanwhile, the CEOs on our prior coverage list — Altman, Huang, Hassabis — keep telling us that AI is actually a hiring boon, if only we were more imaginative. Perhaps the imagination they're looking for is the ability to envision a job market where the numbers look great and real people still can't get a foot in the door. That's a special kind of cognitive dissonance, and we're all now living in it. Cheers — and may your résumé make it past the automated screener.