More than half of laid-off U.S. workers believe artificial intelligence or automation played a role in their job loss, but most were never told so directly, according to Resume Genius’s 2026 AI Layoffs Report. The survey of 1,000 U.S. workers laid off within the past two years found that 53% believe AI contributed to their layoff — but only 22% say their employer confirmed it, while 31% are left to suspect it on their own.
“It’s understandable that employers use broad terms like restructuring or cost cutting because layoffs rarely have a single cause,” said Geoff Scott, Senior Hiring Manager at Resume Genius. “However, if AI or automation played a meaningful role in eliminating someone’s position, employers should be upfront about it. Workers deserve enough context to understand why their job disappeared and what that could mean for their next career move.”
Workers Are Split on AI’s Role in Their Layoffs
More than half of laid-off workers (53%) believe AI or automation played a role in their job loss:
- 22% say their employer directly told them automation replaced their role
- 31% suspect AI was involved but received no confirmation
- 47% do not believe AI played a role
Workers who suspect AI was involved outnumber those who received direct confirmation by 9 percentage points. The belief gap narrows steadily with age:
- 66% of Gen Z respondents believe automation contributed to their layoff, compared with 52% of Millennials and 46% of Gen X workers.
- The wider generational gap is driven mainly by suspicion: 39% of Gen Z workers believe AI was involved without being told, compared with 31% of Millennials and 25% of Gen X
Employers Most Commonly Cited “Cost Cutting” to Justify Layoffs
When employers did explain their reasoning, they most frequently pointed to wider business pressures rather than automation specifically:
- Company-wide cost cutting or budget cuts (37%)
- Restructuring or reorganization (31%)
- Downsizing because of economic conditions (27%)
- Their department or team being eliminated (25%)
- Role replaced or eliminated by AI (15%)
Only 15% received direct confirmation their role was replaced by AI, which suggests companies would rather give employees a different explanation to justify layoffs than mentioning AI directly.
75% of Laid-Off Tech Workers Believe AI Contributed
Belief that AI played a role varies sharply by industry. Nearly three-quarters of workers in tech and finance believe AI and automation contributed to their layoff, compared with fewer than half in several other major sectors.Here’s how that belief breaks down by sector:
- Tech (75%)
- Finance (73%)
- Business & Professional Services (72%)
- Healthcare (46%)
- Manufacturing & Construction (44%)
- Retail & Hospitality (42%)
- Education (42%)
To read the full report, visit https://resumegenius.com/blog/career-advice/ai-layoffs-report.
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Tags: Artificial Intelligence, layoff, Payroll, Technology
