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Tech CEOs are eager to blame AI for mass layoffs. But a recent Gallup poll shows that only 1% of laid-off workers agree.<\/p>\n
The poll finds that layoffs have leveled off at 21% after nearly tripling between 2022 and 2025. Tech jobs and federal government work are susceptible as the job market tightens.<\/p>\n
Remote employees are among the most vulnerable\u201425% of surveyed laid-off workers were fully remote. Hybrid and on-site remote-capable workers see similar layoff rates.<\/p>\n
Cutting remote positions could be an easy excuse to lay off huge amounts of over-hired jobs<\/a> in the post-COVID market. A quarter of surveyed executives said return-to-work (RTO) mandates were an excuse to spark voluntary turnover, according to a 2024 BambooHR survey<\/a>.<\/p>\n Most surveyed workers said employers are hiring rather than cutting roles, but tech companies have been an exception. <\/p>\n According to the survey, 13% of laid-off workers previously worked in the tech industry. In May 2026, Meta cut nearly 8,000 roles while other tech giants like Microsoft and Snap have made similar moves.<\/p>\n After cutting roughly 20% of their staff, Cloudflare cofounders Matthew Prince and Michelle Zatlyn pinned the decision on a company shift toward AI<\/a>.<\/p>\n Federal government employees also report higher layoff rates; 38% say their employer is letting workers go, while state and local government employees are more confident in the stability of their workforce size.<\/p>\n Despite what workers think, AI might still be an underlying reason for many mass layoffs. Most polled workers cited cost-cutting, restructuring, and role elimination for layoffs\u2014reasons that likely arose from AI’s growing infrastructure, especially in the tech industry.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, workers who do not regularly use AI may in fact be more likely to lose their jobs. According to the survey, laid-off workers were 62% more likely than employed workers to avoid AI use. The pattern holds across various ages, education levels, and industries.<\/p>\n \nAI could be more of a factor than the poll lets on<\/h2>\n