AI Adoption Pushed April Planned Layoffs to 3-Month High: Challenger

The boom in artificial intelligence (AI) drove the highest level of planned job cuts in three months, new data released on May 7 show. In April, U.S.-based employers announced 83,387 layoffs, according to global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray, and Christmas. While this is up 38 percent from March’s 60,620 job cuts, the reading is down 21 percent from the same month a year ago. Excluding the COVID-19 pandemic, this was the second-highest total since 2009. Technology accounted for a sizable share of last month’s reductions. Companies announced 33,361 job cuts, bringing the year-to-date total to 85,411. Artificial intelligence was the most commonly cited reason for lowering headcount last month, says Andy Challenger, the firm’s chief revenue officer....