AI Holdouts in Tech Face 3 Times Higher Layoff Odds, Gallup Finds

Tech workers who used artificial intelligence (AI) less than monthly faced triple the layoff risk of peers who used it at least monthly, according to Gallup’s survey.

The finding points to a divide inside an industry already showing higher layoff exposure than others. It suggests regular AI use, not just role or sector, helped shape who kept their job.

Why AI Non-Users Were More Exposed

Gallup asked both employed and unemployed adults how often they use/used AI at work. The results showed that workers who had been laid off were less likely to use AI than those who remained employed.

About 62% of laid-off workers reported using AI once a year or less, compared with 50% of currently employed workers. Meanwhile, 28% of employed respondents said they use AI frequently, versus 22% of those who had lost their jobs.

Gallup called the gap statistically significant. The pattern held after the firm accounted for age, education, industry, and time since each layoff.

“Workers who are AI non-users appear to have been more vulnerable in the job market,” Gallup said.

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Where the AI Layoffs Hit Hardest

Technology workers already carry outsized risk. They made up 13% of laid-off workers but only 6% of the employed workforce.

Within that group, those using AI less than monthly were three times more likely to lose their jobs than monthly users. Across the wider workforce, the same link appeared, though weaker.

“This finding suggests that, within technology, an industry already showing higher layoff exposure than other industries, workers who had not made AI a regular part of their work faced greater risk. Across the rest of the workforce, AI use is also associated with lower layoff risk, but the pattern is stronger in the tech sector,” the survey revealed.

Tech Workers Who Sit Out the AI Wave Face Triple the Layoff Risk. Source: Gallup

Still, a few workers blamed the technology directly. Only 1% named AI as the primary cause, even as 21% of employees reported that their employers cut staff in early 2026.  

Gallup framed AI use as one indicator of a workforce’s readiness for change. The coming quarters may show whether non-users continue to face steeper odds.

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