One chart shows white-collar biz is thriving even as jobs dry up

Employment in white-collar sectors has dipped, while output is surging. Maskot/Getty Images Employment has dropped in white-collar sectors, while output has continued to surge. AI and economic uncertainty are two likely reasons for the sluggish white-collar job market. Still, how productive AI makes companies remains a question. The white-collar sector is doing more with less. While the number of total jobs has slid in industries like finance, tech, and professional services, output has been on a tear. Gad Levanon, the chief economist at the Burning Glass Institute, examined how employment in white-collar-heavy sectors compares with real gross domestic product . He wrote in a Substack article that employment in finance, insurance, information, and professional and business services is collectively down roughly 2% since the end of 2022, while real output for these sectors has soared by 16%.