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A help wanted sign is displayed at a live music and blues club in Chicago on Thursday.

The Associated Press

If you read the typical 2025 mass layoff notice from a tech industry CEO, you might think that artificial intelligence cost workers their jobs.

The reality is more complicated, with companies trying to signal to Wall Street that they’re making themselves more efficient as they prepare for broader changes wrought by AI.

A new report Wednesday from career website Indeed says tech job postings in July were down 36% from their early 2020 levels, with AI one but not the most obvious factor in stalling a rebound.

ChatGPT’s debut in late 2022 also corresponded with the end of a pandemic-era hiring binge, making it hard to isolate AI’s role in the hiring doldrums that followed.

“We’re kind of in this period where the tech job market is weak, but other areas of the job market have also cooled at a similar pace,” said Brendon Bernard, an economist at the Indeed Hiring Lab. “Tech job postings have actually evolved pretty similarly to the rest of the economy, including relative to job postings where there really isn’t that much exposure to AI.”

The template for tech layoffs in 2025 includes an AI pivot

That nuance is not always clear from the last six months of tech layoff emails, which often include a nod to AI in addition to expressions of sympathy.

When he announced mass layoffs earlier this year, Workday CEO Carl Eschenbach invited employees to consider the bigger picture: “Companies everywhere are reimagining how work gets done, and the increasing demand for AI has the potential to drive a new era of growth for Workday.”

Autodesk CEO Andrew Anagnost explained that a need to shift resources to “accelerate investments” in AI was one of the reasons the company had to cut 1,350, or about 9%, of workers.

The “Why We’re Doing This” section of CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz’s announcement of 5% job cuts said the cybersecurity company needed to double down on AI investments to “accelerate execution and efficiency.”

“AI flattens our hiring curve, and helps us innovate from idea to product faster,” Kurtz wrote.

It’s not just U.S. companies. In India, tech giant Tata Consultancy Services recently characterized its 12,000 layoffs, or 2% of its workforce, as part of a shift to a “Future-Ready organization” that would be realigning its workforce and “deploying AI at scale for our clients and ourselves.”

Even the Japanese parent company of Indeed and Glassdoor has cited an AI shift in its notice of 1,300 layoffs at the job search and workplace review sites.

AI spending, not replacement, is a more common factor

Microsoft, which is scheduled to release its fourth-quarter earnings Wednesday, has announced layoffs of about 15,000 workers this year even as its profits have soared.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella told employees last week the layoffs were “weighing heavily” on him but also positioned them as an opportunity to reimagine the company’s mission for an AI era.

Promises of a leaner approach have been welcomed on Wall Street, especially from tech giants that are trying to justify huge amounts of capital spending to pay for the data centers, chips and other components required to power AI technology.

“It’s this sort of double-edged sword restructuring that I think a lot of tech giants are encountering in this age of AI, where they have to find the right balance between maintaining an appropriate headcount, but also allowing artificial intelligence to come to the forefront,” said Bryan Hayes, a strategist at Zacks Investment Research.

Google said last week it would raise its budget for capital expenditures by an additional $10 billion to $85 billion. Microsoft is expected to outline similar guidance soon.

The role of AI in job replacement is hard to track

One thing is clear to Hayes: Microsoft’s job cuts improve its profit margin outlook for the 2026 fiscal year that started in July.

But what these broader tech industry layoffs mean for the employment prospects of tech workers can be harder to gauge.

“Will AI replace some of these jobs? Absolutely,” said Hayes. “But it’s also going to create a lot of jobs. Employees that are able to leverage artificial intelligence and help the companies innovate, and create new products and services, are going to be the ones that are in high demand.”

He pointed to Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, which is on a spree of offering lucrative packages to recruit elite AI scientists from competitors such as OpenAI.

The reports published by Indeed on Wednesday show that AI specialists are faring better than standard software engineers, but even those jobs are not where they have been.

“Machine-learning engineers — which is kind of the canonical AI job — those job postings are still noticeably above where they were pre-pandemic, though they’ve actually come down compared to their 2022 peak,” said Bernard, the Indeed economist. “They’ve also been impacted by the cyclical ups and downs of the sector.”

Economists watching for AI’s effects

Tech hiring has particularly plunged in AI hubs such as the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as Boston and Seattle, according to Indeed.

But in looking more closely at which tech workers were least likely to get hired, Indeed found the deepest impact on entry-level jobs in the tech industry, with those with at least five years of experience faring better.

The hiring declines were sharpest in entry-level tech industry jobs that involve marketing, administrative assistance and human resources, which all involve tasks that overlap with the strength of the latest generative AI tools that can help create documents and images.

“The plunge in tech hiring started before the new AI age, but the shifting experience requirements is something that happened a bit more recently,” Bernard said.

Microsoft, which is staking its future on AI in the workplace, has also had its own researchers look into the jobs most vulnerable to the current strengths of AI technology. At the top of the list are knowledge work jobs such as language interpreters or translators, as well as historians, passenger attendants, sales representatives, writers and customer service representatives, according to Microsoft’s working paper.

On the other end, leading in work more immune to AI changes were phlebotomists, or healthcare workers who draw blood, followed by nursing assistants, workers who remove hazardous materials, painters and embalmers.

THE Philippines produces strong tech talent, but as more engineers head overseas for better pay and meaningful work, the challenge is making local careers competitive enough to keep them here. For local companies, the answer isn’t just filling roles — it’s building careers that can compete with opportunities abroad.

Jay Pegarido, country manager of Sansan’s Global Development Center (SGDC) in the Philippines, believes the solution goes beyond higher salaries.

“Competitive pay is a minimum requirement for retention. However, it’s too simple to frame brain drain as purely a salary issue,” he told The Manila Times in an interview. “It’s more nuanced, rooted in a career’s overall value proposition.”

What engineers are looking for

Good pay is essential, but for many Filipino engineers, it’s not just about the money — it’s also about the opportunity to make a meaningful impact. A 2024 JobStreet survey supports this: 80 percent are open to working abroad. Pegarido cited that “the top factors that influence engineers to stay are benefits for full-time employees, robust skills training — which they often prioritize over immediate compensation — and a healthy work-life balance.”

“Engineers are asking: ‘Can I grow here? Can I master new technologies? Can I build something with a long-term impact?’ If the answer is yes, they’re much more likely to stay,” Pegarido emphasized.

He also noted that “many local tech roles still resemble BPO-style jobs with tasks assigned from somewhere else and the output shipped off somewhere else.”

From jobs to careers

Meeting these expectations requires companies to rethink how they structure tech roles locally. At SGDC, culture shows up in how teams work together every day. The company combines kaizen, the Japanese approach to continuous improvement, and disciplined teamwork with the creativity and flexibility that Filipino engineers naturally bring. Pegarido noted this mix helps people feel a strong sense of ownership. They see their work contributing to products they can be proud of, not just a list of tasks to complete.

What sets SGDC in Cebu apart is how it’s run. It’s not an outsourcing operation. It’s a product development hub where engineers are trusted to lead, experiment and take initiative. They’re encouraged to pitch ideas, shape features and get involved in long-term planning.

“They aren’t just executing tasks; they’re building and growing global products as they build and grow themselves,” Pegarido said. “This approach fosters a powerful sense of purpose and professional growth that is highly rewarding.”

A culture that values teamwork

Engineers work closely with colleagues in Japan and other regions, customizing global products like SGDC’s invoice management tool, Bill One. Their work isn’t limited to implementation — they help solve complex problems and adapt solutions to different markets.

“This means a developer in Cebu isn’t just writing code for a feature requested from overseas; they’re part of the strategic conversations,” Pegarido said. “They contribute ideas, and they have visibility into how their work directly impacts a user in Thailand or Singapore.”

Learning that doesn’t stop

Ongoing learning is a key part of SGDC’s appeal. The company has built a strong internal training structure with technical workshops, mentorship and real-world projects. From onboarding to project work, engineers are encouraged to grow their skills while contributing to global solutions, such as AI-powered features or core system improvements.

The company also runs “Geek Seek,” a program that subsidizes the purchase of books and participation in study groups to encourage self-driven learning. Beyond its own walls, the company partners with universities to bridge the gap between classroom education and industry needs. Internship programs and field trips provide students with early exposure to real-world tools and workflows, helping to develop a stronger talent pipeline.

Why Cebu works — and what’s next

Cebu might not be the first place that comes to mind when thinking of global tech hubs, but choosing it for SGDC was a strategic move. The city has a reliable supply of IT graduates, lower operating costs with office rent about 39 percent below Manila’s, and a better quality of life.

To see similar success in other regions, Pegarido said collaboration is key. The government, schools and businesses need to move in the same direction. Engineers cannot plan their future on shaky ground, and in many cities such as Davao, Iloilo and Bacolod, basic needs like high-speed internet and reliable power grids still need to be addressed.

Retaining tech talent is not only about offering higher pay. It’s about showing engineers they can grow, take ownership and do work they are proud of without leaving the country. That calls for schools and companies to work closely together to prepare talent for real-world challenges, and for building regional tech hubs where careers can thrive. When Filipino engineers have room to grow, explore new ideas and create meaningful work in their own cities, brain drain starts to turn into brain gain.

Enter a gym in 2025 and you’ll find some familiar sights: the smells of sweat, flashing lights, spoken instructions, and equipment resembling that seen in a science fiction movie—but at a price less than what you would pay for a regular gym membership.

Officially admitted into the fitness sector, technology serves everyone from social media celebrities and professional athletes to those who do yoga at home, run during lunch breaks, or workout on weekends.These usual fitness fans are using innovative technology that is transforming our workouts, recovery, and performance enhancement.

Over time, the five innovative technology trends listed below are altering our 2025 workout habits.

1. Clever footwear with deliberate design

Gone are the days of sneakers being just comfortable and helpful.Sensors in modern intelligent athletic shoes constantly track foot strike pressure, gait, balance, and cadence.

Companies like Under Armour and ASICS have unveiled models with Bluetooth connectivity to your smartphone or smartwatch.The shoes provide you real-time feedback—such as:

• You are bearing your heels excessive weight.

• Your right leg is lagging behind.

• Avoid burnout by taking it simple.

For amateur runners and regular gym goers, this tool is quite useful; it’s not only for novelty.It assists you to tailor your training to your unique biomechanics, hone your technique, and prevent injuries.

Furthermore, many of these shoes may be charged wirelessly by just putting them on a mat after a run.

2. Artificial intelligence fitness mirrors: the cornerstone of your home gym

Once a fad during the epidemic, fitness mirrors including Tonal, Mirror, and NordicTrack Vault have become more smart, fashionable, and reasonably priced.

By 2025, these mirrors have tailored training algorithms and AI-driven shape correction.This means that:

• Motion sensors help them follow your real-time movements.

• If your planks need labor or your squats are bad, they gently remind you.

• They change the intensity of your exercises and reps according to your heart rate and development.

The best thing is that you still feel as though you are training with a genuine individual.Thanks to improvements in speech recognition and virtual coaching, the mirror now seems like a personal trainer aware of your strengths and weaknesses.

Many now provide flexible pay-as-you-go or one-time payment choices to keep prices reasonable, hence you may stop subscribing to worry about boredom.

3. Everybody’s Recovery Technology

Recovery equipment such compression boots, cryo chambers, and muscle stimulators were mostly seen in luxury spas or utilized by elite athletes just a few years back.No more this is the case.

Firms like Therabody, Hyperice, and Normatec have released user friendly alternatives of the following products:

• Equipment for percussion treatment with basic intensity controls.

• Leg sleeves made of pneumatics help to remove lactic acid by cycles of compression.

• mobile infrared wraps meant for focused muscular recovery.

You can now save yourself long foam rolling sessions or guesses about how long it will take you to recover.Simply use your app, allow the devices to do their job, and you’ll be reinvigorated for your following workout.

What about the pricing?Prices should range from $200 to $300, not $2,000.It is accessible to everyone, practical, and simple.

4. Wearable devices that educate you rather than merely tally steps.

Once, fitness trackers and smartwatches were just sophisticated pedometers.They will be totally well coached by 2025.

Along with monitoring, the newest gadgets from Fitbit, Apple, Garmin, and WHOOP provide knowledge and direction:

• Monitor your heart rate variability (HRV) to determine whether you’re prepared for hard workouts or need more rest.

• Early symptoms of illness include respiratory rate, skin temperature, and SpO2.

• Reducing recuperation time by means of sleep stage analysis.

The noteworthy new addition this year is Stress Readiness Scores. This feature combines physical, emotional, and environmental elements to tell you whether today is a good day for a hard workout or a leisurely yoga session.

For under $250, you can acquire data formerly needing laboratory testing as well as ongoing assistance to assist you make wiser choices.

5. Online training partners that motivate you.

AI knows how vital staying motivated is in fitness.

New programs like Zwift, FitXR, and Supernatural have created virtual training partners that adapt to your individual personality, attitude, and schedule.Whether you are boxing in a stunning arena or riding virtually through Tuscany, you are no longer alone on this adventure.

Among the exciting aspects of this year are:

• Your virtual coach can change their remarks appropriately by recognizing feelings through tone of voice or facial recognition.

• To motivate people, add pleasure via gamified achievements including team rankings, badges, and shoutouts.

• Introducing a range of exercise regimens to keep your training varied and interesting while avoiding burnout.

Once considered to be just a trend, virtual reality exercises have now become a need for keeping consumers engaged with fitness platforms.Who could have imagined that fighting a hologram could be such an enjoyable pastime?

Final Thoughts: The Arrival of a New Training Age

The increased accessibility and human touch of 2025 distinguish it rather than just its technical advancements.

Setting up a clever gym in your home does not call for a high income.To get individualized guidance, you need not be a professional athlete.You only require a smartphone, a reliable internet connection, and a desire to let technology assist you in a kind way.

In the end, fitness ought to uplift people.With these fresh changes, gyms are losing their intimidating aspect, workouts are being tailored, and recovery is being given priority above thought.

Whether you are practicing for your first 5K, improving your yoga posture, or just attempting to live an active life by walking, there is a device available to help you reach your goals.

This time it is certainly worthwhile.

This image provided by Abbott’s Lingo division in July 2025, shows the Lingo wearable device for continuous glucose monitoring. (Abbott/Lingo via AP)

A quarter-size device that tracks the rise and fall of sugar in your blood is the latest source of hope — and hype — in the growing buzz around wearable health technology.

Continuous glucose monitors, small patches that provide 24-hour insight into concentrations of sugar in the blood, could be a tool for Americans to “take control over their own health,” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently told federal lawmakers.

“They can take responsibility,” Kennedy said. “They can begin to make good judgments about their diet, about their physical activity, about the way they live their lives.”

The devices have lifesaving benefits for people with diabetes, the disease caused when blood sugar remains high because their bodies don’t make enough insulin or become resistant to it. The condition, which affects more than 38 million people in the U.S., raises the risk of serious health problems such as heart and kidney disease and vision loss.

But the devices have surged in popularity among people without diabetes. Sales have been driven by high-profile marketers such as Casey Means, the nominee for U.S. surgeon general.

There’s scant evidence the monitors are useful for people with normal blood sugar levels, said Dr. Jody Dushay, an endocrine specialist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Healthy bodies can effectively regulate glucose after meals and provide the energy they need to function. Glucose monitors may lead people to misinterpret normal swings in blood sugar that happen after eating or activity. In addition, the devices can be “notoriously inaccurate,” providing misleading readings, she said.

“The problem with wearing these is that you can just be zooming in on and creating pathology when it’s not there,” Dushay said.

Here’s what you need to know about the devices:

HERE’S WHAT A CONTINUOUS GLUCOSE MONITOR DOES

The device is a small patch, about the size of two stacked quarters, usually placed on the upper arm or stomach. It uses a needle to painlessly pierce the skin for a tiny sensor.

The sensor measures the glucose in fluid under the skin, delivering a signal every few minutes to a phone app or a handheld display. The apps typically record blood sugar levels and help people track the foods they eat and how they impact those levels.

When healthy people eat a meal that contains carbohydrates, their blood sugar rises, peaks and falls in response to the food.

A healthy fasting blood glucose level for a person without diabetes is roughly 70 milligrams per deciliter to 99 milligrams per deciliter. A range from 100 to 126 milligrams per deciliter indicates prediabetes and above 126 milligrams per deciliter indicates diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association.

In adults without diabetes, blood sugar levels can climb to 140 milligrams per deciliter or more within an hour of a meal, before falling back to baseline levels within two or three hours, according to the association. It’s a sign the body is processing sugar normally.

CONTINUOUS GLUCOSE MONITORS HAVE BEEN AVAILABLE SINCE THE LATE 1990S

For decades, these devices were available only for people with diabetes. The monitors revolutionized care by allowing more precise adjustment of insulin used to treat diabetes and giving people the ability to modify meals and activity more accurately.

Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first over-the-counter monitors. Since then, many companies have emerged to market them, claiming to provide intensive, individualized health monitoring. Cost is generally about $100 a month.

They’ve really caught on with consumers curious about how food and activity affect their blood sugar levels. For instance, Noom, the weight-loss and fitness app, launched a blood glucose feature last year that has proven extremely popular, said Alexander Fabry, a company executive.

“Of the people who are using a CGM, the vast majority of them don’t have a diabetes diagnosis,” he said.

WHO CAN USE THE MONITORS?

The devices have been lifesaving for people with diabetes. And they can be helpful for people with risk factors for the disease, including obesity, prediabetes, a history of gestational diabetes or a family history of the condition.

The devices can allow users to see how specific food and activity choices affect their blood sugar in near real-time, said Dr. Alaina Vidmar, a pediatric obesity specialist at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

“After a large meal, you may watch your blood sugar go up and sort of learn something about yourself,” Vidmar said. “For example, I drink a sugar-sweetened soda and my blood sugar goes up really high, really fast. And maybe I don’t feel as good, right?”

WHAT ARE THE CAUTIONS?

People without risk factors for diabetes may turn to the monitors just because they’re curious, said Dr. David Kessler. A former FDA commissioner, Kessler doesn’t have diabetes, but he wore a monitor for a couple months during research for his recent book, “Diet, Drugs and Dopamine.”

“I think it’s a very interesting tool to experiment with if you’re so inclined,” Kessler said.

But, he noted, the devices can’t be used to diagnose or treat disease. Even experts don’t agree on how to interpret or provide health advice for people without diabetes based on blood sugar data.

“No one knows what’s optimal in the nondiabetic state,” he said.

Before using a monitor, Dushay asks patients to consider their motives.

“What do you think you’re going to get from the data?” she said. “What is to be gained from wearing that monitor?”

US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. has previously opposed sharing data with health tracking apps, but he appears to have changed his mind considerably.

President Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have announced a plan for a new private health tracking system, which is already sparking controversy over privacy concerns.

The system requires patients to share their health data with the government and is said to make it easier for individuals to access their health records and monitor their wellness across different healthcare systems and technologies.

The news was announced on Wednesday, July 30, at a White House event titled “Making Health Technology Great Again,” and it may surprise some, especially considering RFK Jr’s past opinions on sharing personal data with tech companies.

During a 2020 episode of his podcast, RFK Jr said: “It’s connecting all the things in your life, anything that you call smart, that could be your Apple Watch, your cellphone, your GPS on your phone, the GPS on your car, your garage door opener.”

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The Health Secretary expressed particular concern about Big Tech firms using personal data to make money.

“They have so much data now that they have access to … They’re going to take billions of terabytes of data and then they’re going to do analytics on it, monetize it, and sell it back to companies that want to turn you into a permanent consumer,” he explained.

However, in recent months, RFK Jr has strongly endorsed wearable fitness technology as a key part of his Make America Healthy Again campaign.

“It’s a way people can take control of their own health. They can take responsibility,” he told House members on July 22.

“They can see, as you know, what food is doing to their glucose levels, their heart rates, and other metrics as they eat, and they can start making better choices about their diet, physical activity, and overall lifestyle.”

The administration and participating companies say this new initiative, in partnership with Big Tech, would help Americans more easily track and share their medical records or data with doctors, hospitals, and health apps.

Kennedy said during Wednesday’s announcement, “For decades, bureaucrats and entrenched interests buried health data and blocked patients from taking control of their health. That ends today.

“We’re tearing down digital walls, returning power to patients, and rebuilding a health system that works for the people. This is how we begin to Make America Healthy Again.”

Supporters include Amazon, Anthropic, Apple, Google, and OpenAI.

Critics of the new system have raise concerns about how the health data will be used, citing ethical and legal issues.

Lawrence Gostin, a Georgetown University law professor who focuses on public health, said: “There are enormous ethical and legal concerns. Patients across America should be very worried that their medical records are going to be used in ways that harm them and their families.”