Our Scans · (LF.8) Decent Work and Growth · Weekly Summary

• [New] U.S. economic growth will accelerate to 2.6% in 2026, driven by tax cuts, reduced tariff drag and Federal Reserve rate cuts. Fox Business
• [New] Current forecasts (as of early 2026) see AI capex already contributing significantly to growth (20-40 bps boost recently. some quarters where tech investment outpaced consumer spending), with productivity effects expected to accelerate in the late 2020s / 2030s. NextBigFuture.com
• [New] AI is set to reshape roughly 44% of banking work by 2030, according to consulting firm ThoughtLinks - and Wall Street's biggest firms are racing to get there first. Business Insider
• [New] Strong growth trajectories, with mixed reality shipments expected to increase from 3.3 million units in 2025 to over 15.2 million units by 2029. Next Reality
• [New] Asia Pacific is expected to register the fastest growth rate, fueled by rapid cloud adoption and rising SME digitization in countries like China, India, and Japan. ReAnIn
• [New] India is projected to grow at 6.6% in 2026, registering an exceptionally high growth in a challenging global environment, with resilient private consumption and strong public investment largely offsetting the impact of high US tariffs, the United Nations has said. FirstPost
• [New] Growth drivers will become more diversified beyond AI in 2026 to include fiscal stimulus, lower interest rates and deregulation. Whittier Trust
• [New] Industry projections paint a compelling picture: Deloitte forecasts that tokenized real estate alone will reach $4 trillion by 2035 from less than $300 billion in 2024, while BCG and Ripple project total tokenized assets will grow to $18.9 trillion by 2033 at a 53% compound annual growth rate. Blockchain Deployment and Management Platform | Zeeve
• [New] The US will release its inflation rate, which has gained scrutiny as stubborn price growth has led to an increasingly divided Federal Reserve. Trading Economics
• [New] The Information Commissioner's Office has highlighted the potential for agentic AI to reshape how people live, work, and interact with public services over the next five years. UKAuthority
• [New] BlackRock Bitcoin growth could outpace the internet, with rising adoption and strong institutional investment in crypto. Coinfomania
• [New] $29 billion hedge fund Balyasny has built an AI bot that it believes will be able to do the grunt work that typically falls to senior analysts - a potential huge timesaver for investment teams. Business Insider
• [New] Accelerated growth could push inflation to 3-4%, per S&P Global Ratings, prompting fewer rate cuts or even hikes. NextBigFuture.com
• [New] The APPG is demanding an independent review of the UK's digital connectivity landscape, citing ongoing shortcomings in urban, rural, and coastal areas that threaten economic growth, social inclusion, and technological leadership. UKAuthority
• [New] Latin America and the Middle East & Africa are set to have huge growth opportunities in the foreseeable years. Market Data Forecast
• [New] The top tech trends for 2026 are interwoven together on a grand scale that will affect virtually everyone, either directly or indirectly, at work, at home, or on the go - AI, cyber, autonomous automation and power usage. Infinidat
• [New] Many of the skills Canadian professionals use today will shift as AI and automation continue to reshape routine work. PMC Training
• [New] Navigating the future of work in tech in 2026 will see companies focused more at the intersection between AI-workflow integration, governance and impact. Built In
• [New] The baseline forecast anticipates below-trend U.S. GDP growth through 2026, moderating employment gains, and ongoing headwinds associated with elevated tariffs, reduced immigration, and constrained Federal fiscal support. Office of the New York City Comptroller Mark Levine
• [New] In 2026, global trade growth is expected to be more muted as slowing global economic growth, geopolitical fragmentation, continued policy uncertainty and heightened vulnerability weigh on trade activity. The Daily Star
• [New] Amid weak productivity growth and persistent economic uncertainty, the UK government will have to strike a delicate balance between fiscal discipline and the long-term need for green investment. London Business School
• [New] Analysts expect U.S. growth to slow to about 1.6% in 2026, with inflation easing toward 3% and unemployment rising slightly to 4.5%. Paychex

Last updated: 12 January 2026