Remote work still captures the imagination of many employees, but the reality has grown more challenging. By one estimate, work-from-home jobs are now four times harder to land than their on-site counterparts, suggesting that this dream, while alive, is slipping out of reach for many.

Companies are banking on artificial intelligence to transform productivity, yet effects on employment are already visible in Big Tech. Workforce changes and organizational restructuring have accelerated, even as broad productivity gains remain elusive.