The job market looks frozen, but there’s movement beneath the ice.

New data from ZipRecruiter calls this era The Great Freeze, with turnover plunging and employers choosing retention over risk. Yet cracks are forming: a potential hiring thaw could arrive by 2026, especially for entry-level talent as companies drop degree requirements and focus on skill-based hiring.

Host Pete Newsome unpacks why collaboration, communication, and customer service top the 2025 must-have skills list, and why time management, attention to detail, and critical thinking are harder to find than ever.

Then the story heats up: Amazon’s automation plan could transform work itself, with up to 75% of operations going robotic. He breaks down what that means for jobs, wages, and the balance between efficiency and opportunity. While an MIT economist warns Amazon could shift from job creator to job destroyer, Google’s chief economist offers a counterpoint, arguing that AI isn’t replacing jobs, it’s redefining them.

Between these extremes, Pete explores the middle ground: mapping roles to tasks, amplifying human strengths, and building AI fluency that moves with you from tool to tool. 

News Articles:
1. ZipRecruiter Employer Survey: https://www.ziprecruiter-research.org/
2. NY Times on Amazon replacing jobs: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/21/technology/inside-amazons-plans-to-replace-workers-with-robots.html
3. Washington Post on Reskilling for AI: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/10/19/jobs-ai-skills-training/

💬 What do you think:  Will skills-based hiring truly open more doors, or shift the gatekeepers? 

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👋 FOLLOW PETE NEWSOME ONLINE:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petenewsome/
Blog Articles: https://www.4cornerresources.com/blog