“A Resume.org survey of 1,000 hiring managers found that 59% say they emphasize AI’s role in layoffs because it “is viewed more favorably by stakeholders than saying layoffs or hiring freezes are driven by financial constraints.” Only 9% said AI had fully replaced any roles. This is not a technology story; it’s a management honesty story that happens to involve technology.”
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2026-03-13/the-ai-washing-of-job-cuts-is-corrosive-and-confusing

@acdha The article goes on to add, tellingly:

“We’re restructuring around AI” is a growth signal. “We over-hired during the pandemic and revenue softened” is an accountability signal.

Translation: the "AI is coming for your jobs" narrative is mostly based on a misreading of (lying) press releases about job cuts caused by an oncoming recession.

https://archive.is/20260313093508/https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2026-03-13/the-ai-washing-of-job-cuts-is-corrosive-and-confusing

@cstross @acdha Was there even any mass hiring during the pandemic?

It feels like I've been hearing about nothing but layoffs for the last 5 years.

@lispi314 @cstross yes: the money flowing around then lead to a peak around 2021-2022. It’s been consistently downhill since.

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/charted-the-decline-of-u-s-software-developer-jobs/

Charted: The Decline of U.S. Software Developer Jobs

The number of U.S. software developer job postings on Indeed hit its lowest point in 5 years, declining more than 33% from its 2020 levels.

Visual Capitalist