If someone asked you today whether your job was safe from AI, what would you say?
For Tash and Ana, the answer is pretty simple: “No, I don’t think so.”
That’s how the latest episode of the Get Rich Slow Club kicks off, with the pair swapping the usual investing chat for something a little closer to home: how secure their incomes actually are in a world of AI, layoffs and offshoring.
And while there’s plenty to be worried about, neither of them thinks the answer is to panic. Instead, they talk about what they’re doing to make themselves less dependent on any one job, skill or source of income.
AI isn’t the only thing coming for your job
AI gets most of the attention when it comes to job security, but Ana points out that there’s another trend worth watching: offshoring.
Her partner works in tech, and she’s seen this happen firsthand. His workplace went through a big push to use AI, with people being let go when they couldn’t keep up. Some roles were then filled again, but by offshore workers who cost significantly less. It’s a pretty uncomfortable combination: technology making some work more efficient, while businesses simultaneously discover they can access cheaper labour elsewhere.
And Tash has even found herself on the other side of the equation. She recently hired her first offshore worker after initially being against the idea. Business had slowed down and she needed some extra admin support, but hiring someone locally on a low budget was difficult. The person she hired has been great so far, she says. But the cost difference is “wild”.
That’s what makes the offshoring conversation particularly interesting. It isn’t simply a story about big corporations replacing Australian workers. Smaller businesses can find themselves making the same decision because the economics are hard to ignore.
So, which jobs are actually most exposed?
Tash and Ana also discuss a graph from Anthropic showing AI’s theoretical capabilities and observed use across different occupational categories.
The occupations towards the more exposed end include management, business and finance, computer and mathematics, architecture, legal work, and office and administrative roles. At the other end are jobs such as construction, installation and repair, production, transportation, food service, grounds maintenance and personal care. It’s not a prediction of which jobs will disappear, but it’s a useful reminder that AI isn’t going to affect every worker in the same way.
And one category catches Ana’s attention for a different reason: arts and media. “I feel really sad about seeing arts and media,” she says.
Part of the concern is economic. If the economy gets tougher, spending on things like arts and creative work can become harder to justify, particularly when governments and businesses are under pressure to cut costs.
But Ana also makes a broader point: art matters. It contributes to critical thinking, helps people understand ideas and gives us a way of looking at the world differently. The fact that something can be automated doesn’t necessarily mean we should stop valuing it.
The answer might be to become a bit of a Jane of all trades
Neither Tash nor Ana thinks you need to find one magical “AI-proof” career. In fact, they’ve both taken almost the opposite approach. They’ve built up different skills and different ways of making money over time, so their financial lives don’t depend entirely on one employer.
Ana has her 9-to-5, but also earns money from investments, money coaching and a course. She’s previously had rental income, too. Tash has taken a similar approach. Alongside her main work, she earns from sponsorships and mortgage broking, and sees other potential avenues such as consulting and selling products.
It’s not necessarily about turning yourself into a side-hustle machine. The point is having options. “If one lever gets shut down, the other one gets turned on,” Ana says.
That kind of diversification can also change how you feel about your main job. Tash talks about having multiple jobs when she was at university. If one disappeared or became unbearable, she still had two or three others to fall back on. That meant she didn’t feel trapped.
And that’s an underrated benefit of financial security. It isn’t just about being able to retire early. Having savings, investments, skills and other income sources can give you more freedom to say no.
As Ana puts it, getting closer to financial independence means having more choice. You might be able to take a year off. You might be able to wait for the right job instead of taking the first one available. Or you might simply be able to push back when something at work isn’t right because you know you have somewhere else to go.
You don’t need to wait until you’re made redundant
One of the most practical suggestions from the episode is to build your backup options before you need them. That could mean having a casual job that you work once a fortnight, simply so you’re already on the books if you suddenly need more shifts. It could mean building a freelance skill, doing a course, starting a small business or developing another source of income.
It could also mean investing. Tash and Ana point out that investments can provide another source of income through dividends and distributions, while also giving you an asset base outside your salary.
And yes, you probably should learn how to use AI
There’s a slightly uncomfortable contradiction at the heart of all of this. You might worry that AI is coming for your job while also needing to become better at using it if you want to stay competitive.
Tash’s advice is to get ahead of that. If AI is becoming part of your industry, learn how to use it properly. Become the person who knows how to make it useful rather than the person who refuses to touch it.
That doesn’t guarantee job security. But if your current role disappears, having those skills could make it easier to walk into another workplace and say: “I know how to make this work for you.”
And given how quickly the technology is changing, there probably isn’t much value in deciding you’ll “learn AI” once and then ticking it off the list. It’s more about staying curious and continuing to learn.
Networking is still useful. Sorry.
If the word “networking” makes you cringe, you’re not alone. But Ana makes a good point: relationships are still one of the most useful things you can have when the job market gets shaky.
The important part is to do it before you need something. Reconnect with former colleagues, keep in touch with clients, talk to people in your industry and find out what’s happening outside your own workplace. It’s much easier to reach out when you’re simply checking in than when you’ve just been made redundant and desperately need a job.
The same goes for building skills. Ana suggests learning something outside your immediate field, even if it’s just for fun. There are plenty of free courses around, and you never know when a skill that seems unrelated today might become useful later.
Maybe job security was never the point
Ultimately, neither Tash nor Ana thinks jobs have ever been completely safe. Businesses close, industries change, people get made redundant, economic conditions shift and new technology arrives. AI might be accelerating some of those changes, but uncertainty itself isn’t new.
The more useful question might be: what can you do to make yourself less vulnerable when things change?
For Tash and Ana, that means diversifying their income, investing, building different skills, maintaining relationships and learning how to work with new technology. None of it guarantees that their jobs will be there in five years, but perhaps that’s the point. You don’t necessarily need to know what the future of work looks like. You just need to make sure you have options when it arrives.
Listen to the full episode here to hear Tash and Ana unpack AI, offshoring, investing and what they’re doing to make themselves more financially resilient.
If you enjoyed the episode, you can follow the Get Rich Slow Club and find Tash and Ana on Instagram at @tashinvests and @anakresina.
Happy investing!
Tash and Ana
