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Non‑AI Tech Workers Face Threefold Layoff Risk, Gallup Says

Gallup's February survey using a statistical model links rare AI use to a substantially higher chance of job loss.

Overview

  • The Gallup analysis, published Thursday, used February survey data from more than 23,000 U.S. workers, including 660 people who said their jobs were eliminated, to build a predictive model of layoff risk.
  • For tech-sector employees the model estimated a roughly 6% predicted probability of layoff for those who use AI at least monthly versus about 18% for those who use it less than once a month.
  • Only about 1% of laid-off workers in the data said AI was the direct cause of their dismissal, which suggests AI may operate indirectly through productivity gaps or employer evaluations.
  • Many workers still avoid workplace AI because of data privacy and security worries (about 38–43%) or a preference for existing workflows (about 36–46%), and frequent use remains concentrated among digitally fluent, white‑collar roles.
  • The findings signal a widening labor‑market fault line: employers are looking for AI fluency when hiring and retaining staff, which could reshape career advice, training priorities, and how companies measure performance.