‘The People Who Are At The Biggest Risk Are…’: New York Recruiter Says He’s Been Talking To CEOs. Then He Issues A Grim Warning About Your Job—Especially If You’re Remote

As the economy wobbles through 2025, one worry creeps into the minds of workers everywhere: Am I going to lose my job?

While the White House urges Americans to keep calm and continue spending, one New York-based recruiter says workers should be worried.

Joel Lalgee (@the_realest_recruiter) predicts that layoffs are looming. No job is safe during downsizing, but Lalgee suggests that one category may be particularly at risk: remote workers. His reasons why remote workers may be more likely to lose their jobs aren’t quite what you might expect, however.

Lalgee states his case in a pair of TikToks posted in recent weeks.

His warning is equally grim and resolute. If you work in corporate America, Lalgee says it’s time to get your resume ready.

Dark Times Ahead

Economic indicators are growing increasingly dire. This week, news broke that job growth is flat and the unemployment rate is its highest since 2021.

Meanwhile, the national debt has climbed to $37 trillion, or 124% of the nation’s gross domestic product.

This led the founder of the world’s largest hedge fund to warn of a “debt-induced heart attack in the relatively near future,” specifically the next three years. Billionaire Ray Dalio says this, coupled with a culture of silence fostered by the Trump administration’s penchant for retaliating against naysayers, is increasing the potential for economic collapse.

If this happens, no job is safe.

While they may not be publicly discussing it, executives may be quietly preparing for an economic downturn.

As a recruiter, Lalgee spends a lot of time talking to CEOs and other executives. He says that of late they’re all saying the same thing.

“Every CEO that I talk to, every executive that I talk to, is telling me that companies are looking to downsize their people,” he says.

According to Lalgee, companies want to replace manual tasks with artificial intelligence (AI) and automation. He says you’re particularly likely to lose your job if you work for a large corporation.

“The bigger the company, the less the impact you are making as an individual contributor and the bigger the risk is of you getting laid off,” he says. “So you need to mentally prepare that your job is not stable.”

Bad News For The Work-From-Home Crowd?

In a prior TikTok, Lalgee shares his expert opinion of a particular type of employee CEOs hate: remote workers.

Remote jobs used to be exceedingly rare. Not even Ethernet could convince companies to let employees work from home in their pajamas and comfy shoes.

The pandemic changed all that. Some thought, nay, hoped that the trend would continue. You can’t very well fly a plane or serve a cold beverage from the comfort of your couch. But you sure can draft a TPS report or a memo about it.

Just because it’s possible to watch “The Office” and get the job done from the home office while being statistically happier and more productive doesn’t mean your boss likes it. In fact, they probably don’t.

Theories abound, but Lalgee says there’s a simple reason why the Boss Man wants you in the office.

“The truth is they just want control, and they realize when people work remotely, they can finally have some work/life balance,” he says. “They could work and then live life.”

This is unacceptable to the C-suite, he says.

“They don’t want work to fall in the list of priorities. They want work to be number one,” he explains. “And they realize the easiest way to control people is from their office building.”

Weathering The Storm

Lalgee has advice for people looking to dodge the layoffs: You can’t. All you can do is prepare yourself.

That means spit-polishing your resume while you still have access to data that proves you’re a good hire.

“Start networking, getting [your] LinkedIn ready, and just being prepared for the fact that [you] may get laid off,” Lalgee says.

This is a good time to cut back on unnecessary spending. Do you really need tickets on the 50-yard line for opening weekend, or can you watch the game at home? Does the whole family have to vacation in St. Croix this winter, or should you just embrace winter’s chill and spring for a hot tub instead?

You may not be able to prevent a layoff, but you can prepare for one. And, per Lalgee and a lot of people with fancy degrees in business and economics, you better.

“We’re going to see more of this over the next 12 to 18 months,” he says.

Lalgee didn’t immediately respond to BroBible’s direct message sent via TikTok.