The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping workforce planning and job stability. According to a recent General Assembly survey, 54% of tech hiring managers anticipate layoffs within the next year as organizations adjust to AI-driven changes in roles and functions.
More than three-quarters of respondents said they believe affected employees could be successfully upskilled or reskilled, suggesting that while teams will shift, investment in employee development could help cushion the impact.
The report indicated nearly every IT role is being touched by AI, both through the augmentation of daily tasks and by automation across departments.
Forty-five percent of hiring managers said roles most at risk are those that can be most easily automated. Eleven percent of respondents reported they are planning to reduce software engineering roles, while 42% said they are hiring more engineers because of AI.
The data reflects a workforce in transition, with demand rising in some areas and declining in others.
Some organizations are adopting a dual-track approach, ensuring that investment in AI adoption is matched with investment in employee training.
While 93% of respondents indicated their companies plan to support reskilling, a third admitted they have not yet conducted a formal assessment of their workforce’s readiness for AI automation.
AI skills as job security
Industry experts say AI fluency is increasingly functioning as a form of job security. Paul Farnsworth, President of Dice, says roles that incorporate AI tend to be more resilient.
“Roles that incorporate AI, whether it’s through automation, decision support, or product innovation, tend to be more resilient because they’re future-facing,” he says.
Companies want employees who can use AI effectively, not just understand it in theory. For tech workers, that means AI skills are becoming a signal to employers that an employee can help drive innovation.
The roles most at risk are those that are repetitive or easily automated, such as certain QA testing, basic IT support, data entry, or research and summary tasks in product development.
But Farnsworth stresses these jobs are not vanishing overnight.
“Those jobs aren’t disappearing; instead, they’re evolving to incorporate new tools and responsibilities,” he says.
For example, a QA analyst who knows how to use AI tools for test generation becomes far more valuable.
“The key is adaptation,” he says. “Roles that ignore AI entirely are the ones most at risk.”
Aligning AI with upskilling
For IT leaders, one of the greatest challenges is ensuring that AI adoption is matched with workforce planning and skill-building.
Rapid upskilling must be supported by investments in technology, workflow adjustments, and organizational changes. But the pace of AI’s evolution makes long-term planning difficult.
Talent strategies must become more agile and closely aligned with leadership, tech talent trends, and market insights.
The General Assembly survey found that a quarter of hiring managers believe AI development is the most critical missing technical skill in their organizations, followed closely by cybersecurity and AI productivity.
Soft skills remain equally important. Strategic thinking and adaptability were ranked as essential by hiring managers, since they allow employees to integrate AI into workflows effectively.
Pragya Malhotra Gupta, Chief Technology and Product Officer at iSolved, says employers must play an active role in reskilling.
“Forward-thinking leaders will embrace these shifts and proactively prepare their IT teams to adapt to new opportunities and drive innovation,” she explains.
She adds that AI training is not simply about keeping employees current, but about positioning IT as a strategic partner in the business.
“While some routine IT tasks may become automated, investing in AI fluency shows a long-term commitment to employee growth,” Gupta says. “It positions IT teams to lead the next era of innovation.”
Farnsworth points to increased investment in internal AI learning programs, especially as skills like prompt engineering gain traction across multiple roles.
“The smartest organizations are hiring where it makes sense and building internal capabilities at the same time,” he says.
Future-proofing careers
For IT professionals, developing AI skills relevant to their domain can help safeguard careers against disruption. Farnsworth says it’s important for employees to focus not just on tools, but on applying AI to real business challenges.
“For some, that might mean exploring tools like LangChain or vector databases,” he says. “For others, it could be Retrieval-Augmented Generation or fine-tuning large language models.”
He recommends building a portfolio that highlights measurable outcomes, not just experimentation.
Technical skills should also be paired with communication, strategic thinking, and business acumen to stand out. Gupta says she agrees that adaptability is at the core of career resilience.
“AI is moving fast, and while it’s not realistic to keep up with every update immediately, it is essential to understand how to use it thoughtfully,” she says.
From her perspective, professionals who will remain indispensable are those who use AI to reduce manual workloads and free up time for higher-level contributions.
“Staying relevant isn’t only about keeping up with new tools—it’s about thinking critically, adapting thoughtfully, and leading with impact,” Gupta says.
Balancing automation, human value
The findings from General Assembly highlight a paradox in the current AI transition: while some roles are threatened by automation, organizations also report increased hiring in others, particularly engineering. This demonstrates that AI is not eliminating work but reshaping it.
The key for organizations will be pairing AI adoption with thoughtful reskilling strategies and clear workforce planning.
For IT professionals, developing AI fluency, combined with adaptability and strategic thinking, is increasingly seen as a path to greater job security in an uncertain market.
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