Tragically, 2025 has been one of the most brutal years for job cuts as thousands over the world were laid off and replaced by AI. Artificial Intelligence has no doubt become impossible to ignore in discussions about jobs and the future of work. That’s not all, during these job cuts, a big number of employers openly link these reductions to AI and automation.
According to consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas, companies pointed at AI as the cause for 54,883 layoffs in the United States alone in 2025. Some also said that this is a demo in how technology fully changes labour markets. But others say the story is more complicated and involves a bunch of things, from economic pressures to structural changes. So, now as we go into 2026, understanding who is most affected and what trends are coming out is very important for workers, businesses and policymakers, especially.
More Than 50000 People Fired Because of AI
It is very worrying what happened this year. The big number of more than 50,000 jobs lost because of AI in 2025 comes from tracking layoff announcements where companies actually named AI as a reason for job cuts. So, these are not even total estimates of all job losses where AI played a role, but just a subset where firms admitted it publicly. Major names in technology, such as Amazon, Microsoft, Salesforce and IBM, reportedly appear on this list.
Now, at Amazon, around 14,000 corporate employees were cut as per sources, with senior executives pointing to organisational changes based partly on the arrival of generative AI and the need to streamline all the work. Moreover, Microsoft cut around 15,000 jobs in multiple rounds, backing its push to integrate AI into performance expectations and future roles. Also, Salesforce eliminated about 4,000 support positions as per sources, saying that AI tools were handling a much bigger share of workload. IBM as well replaced many human jobs with AI agents while hiring in other important areas.
However, again, these numbers show only a part of the worrying trend of tech layoffs in 2025. Some other independent tracking across hundreds of companies shows that more than 166,000 roles were cut in the tech sector globally, with around 37,700 directly linked to automation and AI. Furthermore, other layoffs resulted from general economic conditions, structural changes or reduced demand in certain market segments.
Now, the debate over whether AI is truly the central cause of job losses is not exactly settled. Some experts say that many companies are using AI as a convenient explanation for huge workforce reductions. A new report also points out that tech companies over hired during the pandemic’s boom years, leading to inevitable corrections that now coincide with increased automation adoption.
Additionally, global trends see a much larger picture at play here as the World Economic Forum has reportedly estimated that millions of jobs worldwide could be affected by AI by 2030, both lost and created, depending on how adoption takes place. Also, other research says that while AI could replace huge numbers of tasks, it may also generate new roles that depend on oversight, design, ethics and maintenance of intelligent systems.
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Who Should Be Most Concerned in 2026
Now, looking ahead to 2026, there are some groups of workers who should be especially mindful of the ongoing changes in the labour market because of AI. The first group includes workers in routine, repetitive roles that can be more easily automated. Customer service, data entry, basic analytical tasks and some support services have already seen a lot of automation adoption in 2025.
Also, mid level roles that sit between strategic decision making and manual tasks may also be vulnerable. That is not all, as the tech layoff trends show that jobs across disciplines are being cut or reshaped, reflecting a blend of AI influence and economic pressures.
However, not all sectors face the same level of risk. Research indicates that AI adoption can also create jobs, specifically in places requiring human creativity, emotional intelligence, problem solving and complex communication. These are areas where machines struggle to match human capability and where complementary work with AI can enhance productivity. AI roles themselves, such as machine learning engineers, data scientists, prompt engineers, ethicists and safety testers, are growing in demand.
Originally published on IBTimes UK
