AI Non-Users Face Higher Layoff Risk, Gallup Survey Finds

AI adoption emerges as job security factor

American workers who never use artificial intelligence face significantly higher layoff risk than colleagues who regularly engage with AI tools, according to new research from Gallup published in July 2026.

The survey found that 62% of workers who experienced layoffs were AI non-users who engaged with the technology once per year or less. By comparison, only 50% of currently employed workers fell into the non-user category. Currently employed workers were also more likely to use AI daily or several times weekly, with 28% reporting that frequency versus 22% of laid-off workers in their previous roles.

The pattern persisted even after controlling for age, education, industry type, and time since layoff, suggesting AI adoption correlates with job retention independent of other factors.

Tech sector shows strongest correlation

The technology industry demonstrated the most pronounced relationship between AI usage and employment stability. Tech workers who used AI monthly or less frequently were three times more likely to have been laid off (18%) compared to those using AI at least monthly (6%).

Gallup noted that tech workers already faced elevated layoff exposure relative to other industries, which amplified the pattern between AI usage levels and job cuts in that sector.

Why it matters

While only 1% of laid-off workers directly attributed their job loss to AI or automation, the data suggests artificial intelligence may be reshaping workforce decisions in less visible ways. Employers cited organizational restructuring (15%) and role elimination (3%) as primary reasons for layoffs—decisions that could incorporate AI-driven efficiency considerations without explicitly naming the technology. For business leaders, the findings indicate that AI literacy may be becoming a baseline competency rather than an optional skill, with implications for training investments and hiring criteria.

Workers don't blame AI directly

Despite the correlation between AI non-use and layoffs, few workers identified the technology as the cause of their job loss. When asked to describe the primary reason for their layoff, only 1% mentioned AI or automation.

However, Gallup suggested this doesn't rule out AI's influence on workforce decisions. Workers more commonly cited restructuring and role elimination—processes where AI could factor into leadership decisions about organizational structure without being communicated as the direct cause.

The survey found approximately 21% of U.S. employees reported layoffs at their companies in the first quarter of 2026, a level that has remained relatively steady after nearly tripling between the second quarter of 2022 and third quarter of 2025.

The findings were first reported by Fox Business, drawing on Gallup's workforce survey data.