Nearly 20% of Workers Replaced by AI in the U.S. Asked to Return
In response, they demanded higher pay and job security guarantees
A study by SHL, a company specializing in talent assessment, revealed that 19.1% of American respondents personally experienced layoffs due to AI implementation, after which their employer offered to rehire them. In the U.S. and the U.K. combined, this figure stood at 16%. SHL refers to this situation as 'AI rebounding.'
Among those who would agree to return, 51% expected a significant salary increase. Another 42% wanted written job security guarantees, while 40% sought clear rules for AI usage in their roles.
According to Lucy Beaumont, SHL’s Global Senior Vice President of Product and Design, companies sometimes make hasty decisions about employees without assessing their actual capabilities with and without AI. If automation fails to handle tasks, businesses are forced to re-engage the same specialists, but on more expensive terms.
Similar cases were identified in a July survey by Robert Half among U.S. hiring managers. In companies where roles were eliminated due to AI, some of these positions were later reinstated—either fully or in a similar form. Employers cited the need to retain internal knowledge and context, maintain relationships, manage increased business volume, and ensure greater human oversight and quality control.
The limitations of automation have already become apparent in large companies. Swedish fintech firm Klarna, a 'buy now, pay later' service, began hiring customer support staff after heavily relying on chatbots. The company’s CEO, Sebastian Siemiatkowski, acknowledged that Klarna had over-relied on automation.
A Klarna representative stated that human staff are necessary for complex and sensitive inquiries. The company has started directly recruiting a small number of highly skilled specialists to determine in which situations personal employee involvement provides the greatest benefit to customers.
