AI Rebounding: Nearly 20% of U.S. Workers Replaced by AI Being Asked Back, Demanding Higher Pay, Security and Transparency | Fortune

Workers set return conditions

SHL surveyed respondents in June and July. In the United States, 19.1% said they had been replaced by AI and later invited back; across the U.S. and U.K. combined, the figure was 16%.

Among those asked to return, 51% wanted a substantial pay increase. Another 42% required written assurances about future job security, while 40% sought clarity on how AI would be used in their roles.

SHL executive Lucy Beaumont said some employers act on an incomplete understanding of what workers can do with or without AI. She said companies may automate roles before assessing employees’ capabilities, then find they need those workers again at greater cost.

Other surveys show reversals

A July survey by Robert Half found that 32% of U.S. hiring managers whose organizations had cut jobs because of AI later reinstated the same or similar positions.

Among those managers, 40% said the roles depended on institutional knowledge or context AI could not replace. Relationship management and increased business demand were each cited by 39%, while 38% pointed to greater-than-expected needs for human oversight and quality control.

Companies bring people back

A Klarna spokesperson told Fortune that human agents were needed “for complex, sensitive cases.” The company started hiring a “small number” of skilled people to identify where human interaction could add the most value for customers. Ford hired and promoted 350 experienced engineers in June after its AI-powered quality-control tools did not perform as expected. The automaker said AI contributed to quality improvements but stressed the need to pair the technology with experienced engineering teams.

AI cuts remain a concern

Despite reports of workers being asked back, employers have increasingly cited AI in workforce reductions. Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported 121,401 announced job cuts attributed to AI through October, compared with 54,836 announced layoff plans for all of 2025.

At the same time, SHL found younger respondents were more likely to report AI rebounding: 24% of those aged 18 to 24 said they were replaced and later asked to return, versus 19.1% of U.S. respondents overall.