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"It doesn’t matter what position you find yourself in right now. What matters is whether you improve your position today. Every ordinary moment is an opportunity to make the future easier or harder." -FS

AI agents are exploding, and hiring managers are taking notes. Intel’s cutting 21,000 jobs, mid-level tech roles are drying up, and job postings are still frozen, unless “AI” is stamped on your resume. This week, we’ll break down what AI agents actually are, why they matter (even if you’re not technical), and how to show you’re already ahead of the curve. We’ve also got the latest layoff trends, red-hot roles, and two tools to help you stand out fast.

• 🧑‍✈️ Career CoPilot: How AI agents work and why hiring managers care

• 📉 Layoff Report: Intel's workforce to shrink by 22% (21,400 people) by year end

• 📈 Trends & Data: Tech Openings Still on Ice, but AI Roles Are Smoking Hot

• 🔧 Jobseeker Tools: Alta, Comet

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📉 Intel's workforce to shrink by 22% (21,400 people) by year end

Intel’s job cuts - a majority of which have been completed already - are part of an effort by CEO Lip Bu Tan since he took the helm in March to turn around the storied U.S. chipmaker. Intel has divested businesses, laid off employees and redirected resources.

• Atlassian Joins Wave of AI Disruption 

• Krutrim cuts more than 100 jobs in second round of layoffs 

• Eyeo Names New CEO, Cuts 40% Of Staff And Refocuses The Business On Privacy 

• TCS to cut 2% of workforce, affecting 12,000 employees amid skill gap and tech shift 

• EV financing startup Ohm Mobility shuts down operations 

• Intel is cutting more jobs as CEO Tan tries to fix manufacturing missteps 

• Tipalti lays off dozens as fintech unicorn shifts sales focus 

• Australia's WiseTech to cut some jobs in AI-driven efficiency push 

• PlaxidityX cuts a third of jobs as Continental plans automotive spin-off 

How AI agents work and why hiring managers care

First off, what exactly is an AI agent?

Think of an AI agent as your digital assistant who can browse the internet, run tasks, click buttons, and even build documents on its own. All you have to do is give clear instructions, and it handles the rest. OpenAI’s recent release of ChatGPT’s "Agent mode" is one of the clearest examples.

Why hiring managers are suddenly paying attention:

• Big names are investing heavily

  • OpenAI rolled out ChatGPT’s Agent mode on July 17, 2025.

  • Microsoft recently launched multi-agent support within Copilot Studio.

  • Google is integrating its web-browsing agent ("Project Mariner") across Gemini and Vertex AI.

  • Walmart announced four new "super agents" to improve online shopping, employee support, and developer productivity.

• Businesses are quickly adopting them
  Deloitte forecasts 25% of companies currently using generative AI tools will pilot agents this year, and half by 2027.

• Job roles will be impacted
  Stanford’s SALT Lab predicts 80% of US workers will soon have at least 10% of their tasks impacted by AI. Nearly 1 in 5 may see more than half of their job responsibilities reshaped.

Why this matters for your career:

Even if you're not technical, managers increasingly want team members who know how to effectively use AI agents to save time, cut down busywork, and improve productivity. In short: knowing how to manage agents is becoming a competitive advantage.

Here are three easy ways you can start:

Bottom line:

Knowing how AI agents work isn't just interesting—it’s becoming a skill hiring managers are actively looking for. Spend a bit of time learning this now, and you'll set yourself apart in your next interview.

Tech Openings Still on Ice, but AI Roles Are Smoking Hot

Overview

U.S. tech job postings are stuck in a deep freeze — down a third from pre-pandemic levels — yet anything stamped “AI/ML” is practically melting the ice.

The Details

• 36% below 2020: Tech postings on Indeed are still 36 % lower than February 2020, with the slide starting well before ChatGPT mania.

• Only 1 in 5 titles growing: Of 149 common tech roles, just 28 (19 %) have more ads today than in early 2020. Software-engineer postings? -49 %.

• AI wins the day: Machine-learning engineer ads remain +59 % vs. 2020, with median pay hitting a crisp $260 k. Data-center techs (hello GPU farms) are another bright spot.

• Mid-salary devs hit hardest: Android, .NET, iOS and web-dev postings have cratered 60 %+—proof the middle of the wage band is getting squeezed.

• Geography matters: Atlanta & Austin (-28 %) are faring far better than Boston (-51 %) or Seattle & SF (-40 %+), echoing their stronger non-tech markets.

• Jobs vs. openings split: Actual employment in tech & math roles is still 19 % above 2019 (vs. +2.4 % economy-wide), so people in seats are safe—for now.

Why it Matters

For job-seekers, the chessboard has flipped:

1. Optimize for AI-adjacent skills. Even if you’re not a hardcore ML engineer, wrapping your UX, product or data chops around GenAI workflows pushes you onto the still-hot side of the ledger.

2. Target “warm” metros. Cities where non-tech hiring is healthy (think Austin, Atlanta) offer better odds of tech callbacks. Remote roles may mirror these hubs’ demand curves.

3. Brace for longer hunts. With postings scarce, expect slower pipelines and lean heavily on referrals, portfolio projects, and contract gigs to stay active.

4. Play the long game. Elevated employment means incumbent tech workers aren’t fleeing; openings will likely stay tight until either macro demand rebounds or AI bottlenecks (e.g., data-center build-outs) pull more roles online.

Translation: the freeze isn’t forever, but until it thaws, gravitate your skills towards AI and position yourself where the probabilities are higher.

Alta - AI Fashion Stylist

Yes, we could roll out of bed and wear our plaid jammy pants and button up shirt, but let’s take it up a notch. Show recruiters you can turn business-casual chaos into camera-ready polish in seconds!

Comet - AI Agent Browser by Perplexity

Given the theme of AI Agents this week, Comet is another player in the space that created an entire browser that is agent-based.

Comet is powerful. Unified AI search, instant context, and automation across every site. Summarize, shop, schedule, and research—directly in the browser.

🔧 Browse the Offboard Tool Directory →

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