Here's an uncomfortable truth: if you spend your workday reading reports and synthesizing them into clear writing, a machine can now do that too. And according to economist Justin Wolfers, that means white-collar professionals are about to experience what auto workers in Detroit went through decades ago.

The Robots Are Coming for Different Jobs This Time

Speaking on MSNBC, Wolfers drew a sharp distinction between AI and every other major technological shift in human history. The plow, the steam engine, electricity—all of these innovations replaced muscle power and physical labor. They disrupted blue-collar work while leaving cognitive jobs largely untouched.

"Almost every previous technological revolution—the plow, the steam engine, electricity—has been technology... doing the work of brawn, of muscle," Wolfers explained. Those disruptions hit factory workers, agricultural laborers, and others whose jobs relied on physical strength.

But AI is different. "What's different this time is the robots are doing cognitive work," he said. "So that means the folks they're coming for this time are white-collar workers."

Wolfers, a professor of economics and public policy, didn't exempt himself from the threat. He identified his own profession—along with media, analysis, and countless other knowledge-work roles—as sitting squarely in AI's crosshairs. If your job involves reading lots of information and converting it into coherent English, well, that's exactly what large language models do.

A Call for Empathy and Better Policy

This shift should prompt some soul-searching among professionals who've watched manufacturing jobs disappear for the past four decades, Wolfers argued. He suggested that blue-collar workers might reasonably tell their white-collar friends: "Welcome to what I've lived through for the past 40 years."

"We feel like Detroit auto workers in the 1970s," Wolfers said, drawing the parallel explicitly. But he stressed that the real challenge isn't just recognizing the disruption—it's responding better than policymakers did when automation hollowed out manufacturing communities.

Wolfers urged a stronger policy response this time around, "not because it's white-collar workers this time, but because we ought to learn from history." The implication is clear: previous generations of displaced workers didn't get adequate support, and we shouldn't repeat those mistakes.

The Layoffs Are Already Here

Wolfers' warning isn't purely theoretical. Major corporations are already announcing significant workforce reductions:

Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) is targeting nearly 30,000 additional job cuts after already laying off 14,000 workers earlier this year. United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) has eliminated 48,000 roles this year, more than double its initial estimate of 20,000 cuts.

The list continues across industries:

• PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP cut 5,600 positions in fiscal 2025
• Chegg Inc. (CHGG) is slashing 45% of its workforce
• Target Corp. (TGT) is eliminating 1,800 roles, representing 8% of its corporate team
• Paramount Skydance Corp. (PSKY) announced 2,000 job cuts

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has rescheduled the September employment report for Thursday, November 20, after delays caused by the government shutdown.

Tech Stocks Keep Climbing Anyway

Despite the employment concerns, markets showed resilience on Monday, with futures for the S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, and Dow Jones all trading higher after a mixed Friday close. AI-linked investments, in particular, continue to attract investor attention.

Here's how major AI and technology ETFs have performed:

The irony isn't lost: investors are betting heavily on the same technologies that may be displacing knowledge workers across the economy. Whether that represents forward-thinking portfolio management or a certain disconnect from employment realities depends on your perspective—and possibly on whether your own job is in AI's path.