The Great Turnover: 9 in 10 Companies Plan To Hire in 2026, Yet 6 in 10 Will Have Layoffs
March 16, 2026
Resume.org’s latest survey of 1,000 U.S. hiring managers found that:
AI is influencing staffing decisions, but most companies aren’t experiencing the dramatic job replacement narrative that often gets pushed. Only 9% say AI has fully replaced certain roles, while nearly half (45%) say it has partially reduced the need for new hires, suggesting companies are using AI more as a hiring slowdown tool than a true workforce substitute. At the same time, 45% report that AI has had little to no impact on staffing levels, underscoring the uneven and limited effect it actually has across organizations.
Many companies admit they frame layoffs or hiring slowdowns as AI-driven because it plays better with stakeholders than saying the real reason is financial constraints. Nearly 6 in 10 companies report doing this, including 17% that claim to do it exactly, and 42% that say they do it somewhat.
As has been observed elsewhere, it’s probably sensible to take the explanation that significant job reductions in companies have been driven by AI with a grain of salt.
