July’s jobs report showed that payrolls fell even as layoff announcements hit a two-year low and hiring plans jumped.

For Peter Miscovich, global future of work leader at JLL, the numbers don’t offer a full explanation. “Workforce transformation is becoming more nuanced, and it cannot be fully captured by traditional headcount metrics in jobs reports.”

Miscovich says multiple shifts are happening inside companies at once, pointing to a pattern JLL’s Future of Work research has been tracking in its global survey of more than 2,200 executives, many of them working in commercial real estate. “Some roles may be reduced or eliminated while other roles will expand and then entirely new roles are also being created, often within the very same organization, and all at the same time,” he told HR Executive.

New functions for roles

Miscovich says role shifting is happening more and more among the companies investing most heavily in AI. Rather than treating the tech mainly as a cost-cutting tool, AI-intensive organizations use it as a lever for growth, innovation and new workforce opportunities.

JLL’s research found that 15% of organizations have reached the “optimizing” phase of AI adoption in their real estate operations, and those firms are using AI to improve decision-making and support business expansion.

Miscovich says these firms tend to show strong cross-functional collaboration and operational resilience. They then redirect AI-driven productivity gains toward growth initiatives.

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