PHOENIX (AZFamily) — New research from Goldman Sachs finds AI is eliminating about 16,000 U.S. jobs per month on net, but a surprising number of companies appear to be laying off workers only to hire them right back.
About 29% of companies surveyed had laid off workers after implementing AI only to rehire them, according to a study by Robert Half, a talent solutions and business consulting firm.
Travis Laird, a Phoenix-area jobs expert with Robert Half, spoke about the trend of “AI boomerangs” on the latest episode of Generation AI.
“What I think it is is a little bit of a softening of the market two years ago, companies starting to implement AI, and now seeing kind of the value add, how they can combine the human experience, the human need with the AI element,” Laird said.
Reassessing AI capabilities
Laird said he believes companies may have overestimated how much AI could help with certain roles. “But now that they’re a few years into it, they’re like, we need a human touch. We need a human experience right here,” Laird said.
He pointed to IKEA as an example. In 2023, he said, the company automated about 50% of its phone calls, leaving 8,500 employees at risk of losing their jobs.
Instead of laying them off, IKEA retrained the employees to become interior designers using AI tools that could recommend where products should go in a home. It is now the fastest-growing revenue stream for IKEA, according to Laird.
Advice for businesses and job seekers
Laird said Robert Half advises businesses to consider what they are using AI for and whether it can accomplish tasks faster.
“I now have tools available to me that help with administrative tasks that they do the job far better than I can. It will take a task that would take me a week to do, and it will do it in minutes for me,” Laird said.
For job seekers, Laird said one of the first questions he asks prospective candidates is how they are using AI, both at their most recent job and for personal growth.
“I ask that question because I want to know, just how are they going to upskill themselves as the years go on?” Laird said.
He said job candidates should use AI to help build resumes and prepare for interviews, but warned against over-relying on the technology.
“I will go through applicants over the weekend, and I’m like, that’s the same resume I just saw. That’s the same resume. Same template. You’ve got to make it personal,” Laird said.
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