From quantum computing to the ‘revenge of the blue collar’: The job market trends shaping 2026
Why emotional intelligence, skilled trades and quantum know-how are becoming career-defining assets.
It is no longer just about making a presentation, taking selfies with celebrities, writing a post, or planning a trip abroad. 2025 was the year artificial intelligence shifted from a gadget, from a shiny new toy, into a profession, an indispensable tool that workers can no longer do without. It was the year AI agents began entering workplaces and fundamentally reshaping roles.
In other parts of the labor market, however, the year was defined by struggle. On one side, employers tried to pull workers back into the office, sometimes through strict rules and sanctions. On the other, workers voted with their feet, and stayed on the couch.
The cost of living, volatility, and general instability, including a war with Iran, shaped the past year in profound ways. Workers sought stability and diversification of income, while employers “rediscovered” wages as a management tool, replacing vague promises of purpose and meaning.
This tension came at a cost. The attempt to balance unprecedented business demands with expectations of flexibility fueled a wave of burnout. Burnout driven not only by around-the-clock work, but also by accumulated mental strain: political and security anxiety, endless reserve-duty cycles, and life on a relentless, information-saturated roller coaster.
In response to instability, layoffs, and rising living costs, 2025 also saw the rise of the “slashers,” people working in multiple professions and building financial resilience through several income streams.
These are the birth pains of a new labor market. If last year was about resisting change, 2026 is shaping up as the year of rebuilding around it. Where is all this heading, and how, if at all, can we prepare? These are the five trends expected to shape the labor market in the coming year, and to define the careers of all of us. Yes, including yours.
1. From Using AI to Managing Agents - This Time for Real
Last January, we wrote about a future in which employees would become managers of AI agents. Each worker, the argument went, would oversee several agents and effectively become a team leader. Human managers would shift away from bureaucracy toward strategy, growth, and business development.
That future did not arrive overnight, but it is now beginning to materialize. 2026 is expected to be a leap year for AI agents in the workplace.
Organizations composed of humans working alongside machines and bots are no longer theoretical. They are actively reshaping global and local labor markets.
“This revolution is already underway,” says Itai Margalit, Area Vice President, Sales, at Salesforce Israel. “Over the past 18 months, we’ve implemented AI agents that work shoulder to shoulder with our employees. Our service agent has already conducted more than two million customer conversations, and in sales, digital agents generate hundreds of thousands of leads. This is a hybrid workforce: machines handle logistics, while people focus on relationships and closing deals.”
The data supports the shift. According to Salesforce surveys, 40% of organizations have already implemented AI agents, and another 41% expect to do so within the next year. Career management itself is becoming autonomous, with AI platforms matching employees to promotion paths. In a recent pilot, 91% of roles were filled based on digital-agent recommendations. At Slack, AI agents have returned 66,000 work hours annually to employees by handling routine tasks.
What does this mean for your career? Routine work - data collection, meeting summaries, coordination, filing - is disappearing. Your value shifts from executing tasks to supervising them. The most critical skills become questioning, monitoring, fact-checking, identifying hallucinations, and managing complex systems.
2. The Escape to Manual Labor
A few days ago, Elon Musk noted that jobs most resistant to AI replacement are those requiring complex manual skills, welders, electricians, plumbers, at least for the foreseeable future.
In Britain, this has already sparked what some call the “revenge of the blue collar.” As young people realize that AI can write code and articles more easily than it can repair pipes or install electrical systems, practical professions are gaining appeal over academic tracks.
In Israel, this global trend intersects with a local crisis, and opportunity. According to the Manufacturers Association, the country faces a chronic shortage of about 14,000 workers in traditional industries. The war has worsened the situation, as reconstruction projects in the north and south compete for the same limited talent pool.
The State of Industry Report 2024 shows that 82% of open positions are for skilled professionals such as welders, machine operators, and electricians, driving wages sharply higher. According to AllJobs, expert welders in defense and infrastructure earn ₪18,000-25,000 per month, while certified electricians earn ₪12,000-17,000, sometimes more than many university graduates.
What does this mean for your career? While parents may not rush to send their children to welding school, skilled trades now offer relative job security and, for the time being, insulation from AI disruption.
3. The Human Premium: Why Emotional Intelligence Is the New Currency
As technology grows more capable, the human qualities machines struggle with become more valuable. Algorithms excel at data analysis, but they cannot manage emotions, navigate organizational politics, or express empathy.
If your role is based purely on technical expertise, you are increasingly vulnerable. The new advantage lies in emotional and social intelligence. Skills such as negotiation, conflict resolution, ethical judgment, and critical thinking justify higher salaries. Managers who fail to transition from commanders to coaches will not survive.
After the burnout of 2025, organizations are also recognizing that “always on” was a mistake. In 2026, managing energy and attention becomes a core skill. Resilience is emerging as one of the most valuable capabilities.
“The defining trend will be the ability, organizational and personal, to make change routine,” says Moran Yona-Metz, VP People & Culture at Lusha. “Burnout will no longer come from boredom, but from change fatigue and dizzying technological speed. We’ll see a split between workers who freeze in the face of technology, and those who learn to thrive in uncertainty.”
What does this mean for your career? Responsibility shifts to the individual: setting digital boundaries, protecting focus, and developing emotional intelligence become essential survival skills.
4. The Next Wave: Quantum Computing
If AI is the current revolution, quantum computing is the tsunami behind it. While 2026 will not put quantum computers on every desk, it marks the start of serious preparation.
“Quantum computing will enter business around 2027,” says Uzi Yaari, VP and Head of the Digital Division at Elad Systems. “But 2026 is the year organizations begin preparing in earnest.”
IBM, Google, AWS, and Microsoft already operate quantum systems in the cloud. Universities are opening dedicated programs, startups are attracting major investment, and governments are mobilizing.
Quantum will reshape finance, insurance, healthcare, defense, logistics, energy, education, and even art. Analytical roles may shrink or transform, while new positions emerge: quantum developers, post-quantum cryptography experts, ethics specialists, and domain consultants.
What does this mean for your career? According to McKinsey, only half of future quantum jobs may be filled due to talent shortages. Early expertise, especially in quantum development and post-quantum cryptography, will become a strategic asset.
5. Office, Hybrid, or Remote? It No Longer Matters
The 2025 battle over office attendance is fading. The emerging understanding is that the office is no longer a place, but a network. Hybrid work is evolving into a global talent ecosystem.
Companies now recruit by skills, not geography. Talent can come from anywhere.
What does this mean for your career? Competition is fiercer, you’re up against candidates from London, Singapore, or Bangalore. But opportunity is broader, too. The winners of 2026 will be those who know how to market their skills globally, without leaving home.
