Refusal of AI: Risk of dismissal for IT specialists triples
The labor market in the technology sector is undergoing tectonic shifts. New data from a large-scale survey has revealed a stark correlation: professionals who use artificial intelligence (AI) tools less than once a month face a risk of layoffs three times higher than their colleagues who actively integrate AI into their daily work. This is not just a statistic—it is a direct market signal.
The study showed that among laid-off employees, the share of those who used AI no more than once a year or ignored it entirely reached 62%. For comparison, among those who retained their jobs, this figure was only 50%. Moreover, 28% of employed professionals stated that they frequently use AI, whereas among the laid-off, this was only 22%. This pattern holds even after accounting for factors such as age, education, and industry.
Tech Sector in the Crosshairs
The situation is most dramatic in the technology sector itself. Layoff rates here are already above the market average: 13% of surveyed tech sector employees reported losing their jobs in early 2026, while in other industries this figure is only 6%. However, within the industry itself, the gap between AI "users" and "ignorers" is enormous—the risk of layoffs for the latter is three times higher.
Notably, only 1% of respondents directly cited AI as the main reason for their layoff. This suggests that the technology acts not so much as a cause, but as a marker. Companies are not firing "because of AI"—they are firing those who do not demonstrate readiness for adaptation and digital transformation. In this case, AI is a litmus test, showing how well an employee fits into the new reality.
My expert opinion: The cryptocurrency and blockchain market, where the pace of change and competition for talent are particularly high, has long since learned this lesson. Ignoring AI in our field is not just conservatism, but a direct path to losing competitiveness. The coming quarters will show that those who have not integrated AI into their daily workflow risk being left behind not only in the tech sector but in any other dynamically developing industry.