In this episode of HELLO FUTURE, host Kevin Cirilli speaks with Mattie Duppler, fiscal policy expert, founder of Forward Strategies, and host of The Tradeoff podcast. A former Amazon public affairs leader and Senior Fellow at the National Taxpayers Union, Mattie brings sharp insight into how economic incentives, technology, and worker behavior are reshaping the labor market.

A new Enhancv study reveals that nearly 80% of professionals now treat a second full-time job as essential “private unemployment insurance,” hedging against layoffs in an increasingly volatile economy. Surprisingly, this trend isn’t limited to remote workers — over half of multi-job holders are working mostly in-office. AI is acting as a powerful multiplier, with many completing their primary role in 30 hours or less, while still meeting or exceeding expectations across multiple jobs.

Mattie breaks down why workers are “air-gapping” their income, what this means for the traditional employer-employee contract, and whether this represents a rational response to economic uncertainty or a deeper breakdown in job security. She also explores the long-term implications for productivity, wages, fiscal policy, and how companies might need to rethink loyalty in an era where many high performers are no longer willing to bet their entire livelihood on a single employer.

This is a candid conversation about the future of work, AI’s real-world impact on daily life, and what happens when workers stop believing that one job is enough.