AI job losses in US through May surpass 2024-25 combined
Business
AI is shaking up the US job scene this year. According to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, more people lost their jobs to AI in just the first five months of 2026 than in all of 2024 and 2025 combined.
May was especially tough, with more than 97,000 layoffs, the highest for that month since the early pandemic days.
Automation drove 38,500 May job cuts
Nearly 40% of May's job cuts (about 38,500) were directly linked to automation replacing human roles.
The tech industry has been hit hardest: US tech companies alone announced more than 38,000 layoffs last month, with overall tech layoffs up a massive 66% this year.
While experts say AI's impact is mostly limited to certain fields right now (especially tech), it's clear that automation is making its mark.