Overall consumer demand is drying up as people are getting squeezed from small wage gains and huge inflation. Low demand for goods and incessant demand for “stakeholder value” means cuts have to come. If they’re not in quality, it’s in overhead (staff) - or both.

And now bosses have excuses for cuts to both back-office and production staff - “automation” and “AI” respectively.

Imagine that. You get rid of regulation and let billionaires do whatever they like, and jobs disappear. Who would have guessed!