Jimmy's Jobs of the Future

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Episodes

282

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Oct 2026

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EN-US

About the show

Former Downing Street adviser, Jimmy McLoughlin interviews top entrepreneurs, politicians, and just about anyone at the top of their game on where they think the future of our economy is going through the prism of jobs. 

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60 recent

October 27, 202649 min

From Shop Floor to CEO: The Rise of Pret’s Pano Christou

Pret a Manger CEO Pano Christou on why Pret is so expensive, Service Culture, and Creating Jobs Join our Slack channel, for students only: https://form.typeform.com/to/CdBAfNrp You’ll get to shadow the team digitally + learn how we put the show together - how we find guests, do research + come up with up with topics. ------- Pret CEO Pano Christou recounts his 26-year rise from assistant manager to CEO at 41, including a short Harvard exec MBA that boosted his confidence after rapid promotion. He explains Pret’s management approach: short meetings, pre-reads, early-morning reflection, empowering smart teams, and a weekly mystery-shopper system that can trigger a 10% weekly bonus for all store staff based on service, speed, availability, and cleanliness. He discusses COVID’s disruption via hybrid working and Pret’s response through coffee subscriptions, delivery, and value initiatives like “Pick Your Pair” for £4.99 and 99p filter coffee. Addressing “why Pret is expensive,” he cites 2022–23 inflation (food inflation peaking around 20%), refusing shrinkflation, and then limiting price rises for about three years. He highlights expansion plans to open 100 UK stores, inclusive hiring (NEETs and people facing homelessness), training, pay (around £15/hour for baristas), and policy asks on VAT and national insurance support. Chapters 00:00 Why Pret Costs More 00:48 Panos Pret Journey 04:05 Fast Track To CEO 05:46 Leadership Mindset Shifts 12:35 Unusual CEO Habits 14:40 Post Covid Business Model 17:05 Value Deals And Pricing 21:05 Service Culture Joy 22:58 Hiring Growth And Homelessness 28:16 Behind The Counter 30:32 Pay Bonuses And Training 34:20 Menu Trends And Hiring 38:00 Government And VAT 40:54 Quickfire And Wrap Up ********** Got an idea for our next episode? Drop us a line at hello@jobsofthefuture.co Follow us on socials! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimmysjobs Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jimmysjobsofthefuture Twitter / X: https://www.twitter.com/JimmyM Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmy-mcloughlin-obe/ Sponsor the show or Partner with us: hello@jobsofthefuture.co Check out our clips channel here! ⬇️ https://www.youtube.com/@JimmysJobsClips Credits: Host / Exec Producer: Jimmy McLoughlin OBE Producer: Thuy Dong Editor: Rhodri Beynon Social Producer: Alex Kularatnam Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

October 26, 202652 min

Why UK Bills Are So Expensive?! | Greg Jackson, Octopus Energy CEO

Octopus Energy’s Greg Jackson on Agile Tariffs, Standing Charges, and the Future of Electrification Jimmy interviews Octopus Energy CEO Greg Jackson about how Octopus’s Agile tariff mirrors half-hourly wholesale prices, sometimes going negative when supply exceeds demand, and how “powerdowns” and “powerups” pay customers to shift usage when electricity is expensive or cheap. Greg says over four million customers have used these tools, saving over £1 billion, and argues smarter use of existing grid capacity could reduce the need for £100 – £200 billion in new infrastructure. They discuss why standing charges are “out of control,” how fixed network costs now make up much of bills, and the growing cost of paying wind generators to turn off. He highlights falling costs and benefits of EVs, home charging, batteries, and heat pumps, plus energy geopolitics, China’s clean-tech lead, and AI’s emerging impact on jobs. He calls for consistent policy focused on electrification. Chapters: 00:00 Agile Tariff Explained 01:20 Negative Pricing Moments 02:15 Powerdowns and Powerups 04:07 Savings and System Efficiency 06:10 Standing Charge Breakdown 09:57 Where Your Bill Goes 12:02 Using Wind Power Better 12:45 Why Electricity Use Fell 15:00 EV Charging Cost Reality 17:33 Octopus EV Leasing Scale 18:45 Why UK Power Costs More 19:56 Cutting Energy Levies 20:30 Home Batteries Boom 21:36 Heat Pumps Data Edge 23:45 Energy Geopolitics Shock 26:50 China Tech Risk Reality 29:23 China Innovation Machine 34:35 AI Jobs Uncertainty 38:47 Raising Kids With AI 41:46 Budget Wish List Electrify 43:49 Closing Thoughts This episode is powered by Octopus Energy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

October 13, 20261 hr 21 min

Is AI Really Taking Your Job? The Data Tells a Different Story | John Burn-Murdoch

If AI can write code, why are companies hiring more software developers? And why are people starting their careers still struggling to get in?Financial Times columnist and chief data reporter John Burn-Murdoch joins Jimmy to unpack what the data actually tells us about AI, work and opportunity. Hiring for experienced software workers is recovering, while opportunities for new graduates remain flat. If AI can handle the tasks juniors once learned on, how do they gain the experience employers want?John explains why human judgement could become more valuable, how AI-generated applications could push recruitment back towards personal connections, and why predictions of mass unemployment may miss the bottlenecks that still require people.They also explore the forces making it harder to build an adult life: housing pressures, fewer young people forming relationships, falling birth rates and the appeal of better-paid work abroad.In this episode:00:00 AI layoffs reality check01:54 Where job losses show up03:42 Rate hikes vs AI effects05:47 Software jobs rebound06:36 Decide execute deliver08:55 Why juniors still matter11:48 Trainee pipeline dilemma13:42 Networks and meritocracy16:26 Recruitment goes old school18:17 Hiring at the FT20:14 Journalism identity shift24:13 Job titles and personal brand27:33 Computer science enrollment dip30:46 Deep knowledge beats tasks35:48 Jevons paradox and training37:34 AI and non AI assessments39:36 Bottlenecks and productivity41:07 AI Bottlenecks Need Humans42:58 Birth Rates Falling Everywhere45:09 Housing And Digital Media48:53 Social Media Gender Divide51:24 Dating Apps And Work Ties53:37 Why Low Birth Rates Matter57:40 UK Centralization And Housing59:05 Broken Jobs Data Problem01:03:15 UK Emigration And Pay Gaps01:07:58 Fixing Britains Growth Story01:09:18 UK Role In Global AI01:12:04 Will AI Cause Unemployment01:13:39 Iced Coffee Interview Debate01:15:09 Pink Socks And Dress Codes01:17:48 Favorite Chart And Wrap UpSubscribe to Jimmy’s Jobs of the Future for more conversations about work, technology and the changing economy.********** Got an idea for our next episode? Drop us a line at hello@jobsofthefuture.co Follow us on socials! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimmysjobs Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jimmysjobsofthefuture Twitter / X: https://www.twitter.com/JimmyM Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmy-mcloughlin-obe/ Sponsor the show or Partner with us: hello@jobsofthefuture.co Check out our clips channel here! ⬇️ https://www.youtube.com/@JimmysJobsClips Credits: Host / Exec Producer: Jimmy McLoughlin OBE Producer: Thuy Dong Social Producer: Alex Kularatnam Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

October 6, 202648 min

Who Really Controls Football? Money, Power & Premier League | Joey D’Urso

Football, Power and Shirts: On China, FIFA and Fields of Power In a wide-ranging conversation, journalist Joey D'Urso discusses how football and politics have always been intertwined, from FIFA’s unpopularity in the UK and World Cup expansion debates to historical links with regimes and soft power. Drawing on his book More Than a Shirt, he explains China’s top-down push to become a football power, the use of football by the state, and figures like Li Tie amid opaque corruption allegations. The discussion covers how national-team success depends on deep football ecosystems, France’s team as an immigrant story, and football’s roots in industrialization and natural resources. Joey outlines his career from BBC Westminster and BuzzFeed to The Athletic and The Times, his shift to full-time writing, and monetization via Substack, social media, and freelance work. He previews his next book, Fields of Power, telling 20th-century history through 20 stadiums worldwide. Chapters 00:00 FIFA Backlash 00:24 China Football Ambitions 01:58 Corruption And Control 03:24 Why Money Isnt Enough 05:35 France Culture And Ecosystems 07:32 Industry And Soft Power 08:55 From Politics To Football Writing 12:13 When Football Turned Political 15:37 Colombia Shirt Crime Story 18:46 New Book Fields Of Power 20:29 Breaking Into Football Journalism 22:20 Original Ideas In An AI Era 24:00 Making Money Plans 25:45 Nonlinear Growth Lessons 26:56 Football as Live Media 30:04 Stadiums and Tailgating 31:43 FIFA Revenue and Hosts 33:14 FIFA Criticism and Culture 35:14 New Book Story Teasers 37:03 More World Cups and AI 38:27 Data Driven Clubs 41:00 Attendances Up Atmosphere Down 44:02 Bigger World Cup Debate 45:33 Wrap Up and Thanks ********** Follow us on socials! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimmysjobs Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jimmysjobsofthefuture Twitter / X: https://www.twitter.com/JimmyM Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmy-mcloughlin-obe/ Want to come on the show? hello@jobsofthefuture.co Sponsor the show or Partner with us: hello@jobsofthefuture.co Check out our clips channel here! ⬇️ https://www.youtube.com/@JimmysJobsClips Credits: Host / Exec Producer: Jimmy McLoughlin OBE Producer: Thuy Dong Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

September 29, 202655 min

Britain Sounds Clever, So Why Can't It Build? | Dan Wang

Jimmy interviews author Dan Wang about his book "Breakneck" and why the UK and other Western societies struggle to build infrastructure, contrasting Britain’s strengths in “sounding clever” industries (universities, finance, media) with weak construction capacity and rule-bound governance that stalls projects. We discuss how “verbal cleverness,” PPE and law-heavy elites in the UK and US, and litigation-driven processes since the 1970s have reduced state capacity and deterred ambitious people from public service, versus China’s engineer-led political culture and legitimacy-through-building (dams, bridges, high-speed rail). We also cover meritocracy and immigration in the US/UK, AI’s uncertain impact on software, legal, and “busy work” jobs, the value of embodied reporting, Singapore’s high-paid civil service model, lost manufacturing process knowledge in the US, and Apple’s intensive China supply-chain feedback loop. 00:00 Britain Talks Not Builds 04:05 Why The West Stopped Building 07:45 PPE Politics And Brexit 09:05 America The Lawyer Elite 14:08 Meritocracy And Immigration 17:27 Poetry Versus Engineering 20:06 China Engineer Leadership 27:21 AI Software Or Hardware 30:10 Work Stamina After AI 32:02 Writer Work And Travel 37:01 Restoring State Capacity 43:26 Process Knowledge Manufacturing 49:18 Generations And Opportunity ********** Follow us on socials! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimmysjobs Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jimmysjobsofthefuture Twitter / X: https://www.twitter.com/JimmyM Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmy-mcloughlin-obe/ Want to come on the show? hello@jobsofthefuture.co Sponsor the show or Partner with us: hello@jobsofthefuture.co Check out our clips channel here! ⬇️ https://www.youtube.com/@JimmysJobsClips Credits: Host / Exec Producer: Jimmy McLoughlin OBE Producer: Thuy Dong Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

September 22, 202636 min

Inside the World’s Most Extreme Jet Suit | Gravity Industries Founder Richard Browning

Jimmy visits Gravity Industries in Somerset to meet founder Richard Browning, the inventor behind the real-life jet suit. Richard takes Jimmy inside Gravity’s HQ, explains how an oil trader ended up building a flying suit, and shows what it takes to turn a seemingly impossible idea into a £100m business operating across 53 countries. Jimmy also gets suited up to attempt his first hover. Watch him take off, and, well, mostly land, on our YouTube channel. Link below: They discuss how Gravity trains jet suit pilots, the company’s work with Special Forces and emergency response teams, the world’s first jet suit race series, and why Richard believes Britain needs to get more comfortable with ambition, innovation and recoverable failure. In this episode: How Richard Browning built a real-life Iron Man-style flying suit What it costs—and what it takes—to fly one Gravity’s work in entertainment, military mobility and medical response Building a 30-person company valued at around $100m Hiring for initiative, not just qualifications How to take big risks without betting the company This episode is supported by Octopus Legacy. They’re offering Jimmy’s Jobs of the Future viewers a free simple will, plus money off a trust. Find out more via the link below: octopuslegacy.com/free-will-jimmy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

September 17, 20261 hr 2 min

Will AI Kill White-Collar Jobs? | Matthew Wilson, Jack&Jill CEO

Jack and Jill: AI Agents Rewiring Hiring and Job Search Jimmy interviews Matthew Wilson, founder of Jack and Jill, about how AI is worsening recruitment noise by automating mass applications and outbound recruiting, making traditional CV-based signaling less effective. Matt explains Jack and Jill’s two AI agents: Jack helps individuals find and prepare for “dream jobs” through deep voice-based profiling, job matching, interview practice, and salary benchmarking (free for users), while Jill helps companies hire by capturing nuanced role needs and matching against Jack’s user network; the company has 350,000 users and thousands of companies, mainly across London, San Francisco, and New York. Matt shares his background (Yorkshire Dales, Oxford, inspiration from a Batley-based startup), building Omnipresent (remote employment infrastructure later sold to Deel), and lessons on competitive advantage. They discuss early-career guidance, AI tool literacy, major white-collar work changes, Jevons paradox, small high-talent teams, transparent high pay, and hiring via paid trial days and networks. 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 00:27 AI Hiring Spam Problem 03:19 What Jack and Jill Builds 04:03 Why Job Search Feels Random 06:45 Jack the Career Agent 08:02 Jill the Hiring Agent 08:49 First Principles Recruiting 10:04 Advice for Early Careers 12:57 From Yorkshire to Startups 16:36 Building Omnipresent in COVID 19:47 Selling to Deel Lessons 24:22 Choosing the Next Venture 25:45 AI as Patient Career Coach 29:03 Why Work Changes Lives 31:00 Reimagining Recruitment 31:44 AI Tool Fluency 34:03 Career Catapult Mindset 34:29 White Collar Disruption 36:39 Jobs Change Not Vanish 38:41 Jevons Paradox Debate 40:05 Bureaucracy Versus Leverage 42:50 Building a Lean Team 42:59 Pay Transparency Hiring 48:52 Scaling Across Markets 51:39 Fast Hiring Playbook 53:56 Paid Trial Workdays 57:09 Early Hires Through Networks 59:30 First Employees Matter 59:58 Closing Thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

September 8, 20261 hr 13 min

Sara Davies: Why Now Is the Toughest Time to Run a Business

Sara Davies on Changing Dragon’s Den, Building a Personal Brand, and Why Small Business Is Tougher Than Ever Jimmy welcomes Sara Davies as the first “Dragon” guest on Jimmy’s Jobs of the Future, discussing how she brought a more empathetic, collaborative approach to Dragon’s Den by refusing to be “more dragon-y” and staying true to herself. Sara explains how her confidence grew over six years on the show, how her investing prioritizes working with entrepreneurs and impact over pure returns, and the questions she asks founders about why an idea might not work and who their real competitors are. She contrasts hiring versus investing criteria, emphasizing cultural fit, non-verbal communication, and surrounding yourself with complementary skills. Sara also shares her personal branding process, her approach to BHAGs and thinking time, and how she uses AI to condense her own ideas rather than generate generic posts. She also covers content strategy, the challenges facing small businesses amid Brexit, the pandemic, and economic pressures, and highlights memorable Den deals and lessons. ********** Follow us on socials! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimmysjobs Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jimmysjobsofthefuture Twitter / X: https://www.twitter.com/JimmyM Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmy-mcloughlin-obe/ Want to come on the show? hello@jobsofthefuture.co Sponsor the show or Partner with us: hello@jobsofthefuture.co Check out our clips channel here! ⬇️ https://www.youtube.com/@JimmysJobsClips Credits: Host / Exec Producer: Jimmy McLoughlin OBE Producer: Thuy Dong Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

September 4, 202635 min

Ed Conway, Part 2: Chinese vs American Cars, Andy Burnham's £80 T-shirt & How Dr. Dre Uses AI

This is the second part of our interview with Ed Conway, Sky News Economics Editor, author of Trade World and Material World. The first part is out on all platforms. ---- Ed Conway on Trade Wars, Bread Monocultures, and the Fragile Supply Chains Behind Modern Life Sky News Economics editor Ed Conway discusses his book Trade World, based on two years of research into how bread, cars, and textiles are made and traded, arguing globalization has made goods cheaper by concentrating production into a few places, creating dangerous vulnerabilities. He highlights monocultures in crops such as wheat and bananas, focusing on the wheat disease UG99 and how industrial bread relies on just one or two wheat varieties, drawing parallels to the Gros Michel banana collapse and risks to the Cavendish. This is the first part of our interview with Ed. The second part drops later this week. Watch the full interview on YouTube ⁠here⁠. Chapters 00:00 Food Supply Sword 00:29 Meet Ed Conway 02:08 Will We Run Out 05:05 Bread Still Matters 06:44 Innovation Beats Doom 13:37 Writing Material World 18:32 Three Products Focus 22:43 AI And Conversation 24:17 UG99 Wheat Threat 24:54 Monocultures And Risk 33:29 Chokepoints And Stockpiles 40:56 Tracking Product Journeys 42:17 Russia Wheat Surge 42:47 Wheat as Power 44:30 Automation and Bakeries 48:25 Lights Out Mills 52:04 AI as Job Tool 53:51 Markets Need Work 56:31 Red Flag Lessons 01:03:22 Who Makes Cars 01:10:28 China EV Shock 01:17:24 The 80 Pound T Shirt 01:20:40 Blue Plaques for Industry 01:23:02 Humans in AI Age ********** Follow us on socials! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimmysjobs Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jimmysjobsofthefuture Twitter / X: https://www.twitter.com/JimmyM Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmy-mcloughlin-obe/ Want to come on the show? hello@jobsofthefuture.co Sponsor the show or Partner with us: hello@jobsofthefuture.co Check out our clips channel here! ⬇️ https://www.youtube.com/@JimmysJobsClips Credits: Host / Exec Producer: Jimmy McLoughlin OBE Producer: Thuy Dong Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

September 2, 202657 min

Ed Conway, Part 1: How the West Accidentally Built Its Greatest Competitor

Ed Conway on Trade Wars, Bread Monocultures, and the Fragile Supply Chains Behind Modern Life Sky News Economics editor Ed Conway discusses his book Trade World, based on two years of research into how bread, cars, and textiles are made and traded, arguing globalization has made goods cheaper by concentrating production into a few places, creating dangerous vulnerabilities. He highlights monocultures in crops such as wheat and bananas, focusing on the wheat disease UG99 and how industrial bread relies on just one or two wheat varieties, drawing parallels to the Gros Michel banana collapse and risks to the Cavendish. This is the first part of our interview with Ed. The second part drops later this week. Watch the full interview on YouTube here. Chapters 00:00 Food Supply Sword 00:29 Meet Ed Conway 02:08 Will We Run Out 05:05 Bread Still Matters 06:44 Innovation Beats Doom 13:37 Writing Material World 18:32 Three Products Focus 22:43 AI And Conversation 24:17 UG99 Wheat Threat 24:54 Monocultures And Risk 33:29 Chokepoints And Stockpiles 40:56 Tracking Product Journeys 42:17 Russia Wheat Surge 42:47 Wheat as Power 44:30 Automation and Bakeries 48:25 Lights Out Mills 52:04 AI as Job Tool 53:51 Markets Need Work ********** Follow us on socials! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimmysjobs Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jimmysjobsofthefuture Twitter / X: https://www.twitter.com/JimmyM Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmy-mcloughlin-obe/ Want to come on the show? hello@jobsofthefuture.co Sponsor the show or Partner with us: hello@jobsofthefuture.co Check out our clips channel here! ⬇️ https://www.youtube.com/@JimmysJobsClips Credits: Host / Exec Producer: Jimmy McLoughlin OBE Producer: Thuy Dong Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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