Gallup data indicates AI adoption has become a job security factor as employers restructure workforces. Among currently laid-off workers, 62% were AI non-users, defined as those who used AI tools once a year or less, compared with 50% of currently employed workers. Frequent AI users made up 28% of employed workers, compared with 22% of those who had been let go.
The gap was sharpest in technology. Tech workers who used AI less than monthly were three times as likely to have been laid off as tech workers who used it at least monthly. Gallup also found tech workers accounted for 13% of currently laid-off adults, roughly double their 6% share of the employed workforce.
Only 1% of currently laid-off workers cited AI or automation as the primary reason for losing their jobs, while organizational restructuring, budget and cost-cutting, and broader economic conditions were more common explanations. Gallup’s Q1 2026 data showed 21% of U.S. workers reported workforce reductions at their employer, while 34% reported expansion. For HR leaders, AI fluency is emerging as a planning input for identifying workforce exposure during restructuring.
