JobsGartner expects 30% of workers laid off for AI to be rehired by 2029, at a higher cost

In a press release distributed in Korea on October 1, Gartner predicted that 30% of employees laid off because they were replaced by AI will need to be rehired by 2029, often at significantly higher cost. The reasons are depleted talent pipelines, lost institutional knowledge, and a weaker base for developing the next generation. Companies that treat AI only as a cost cutter, it said, shed too many people too early.

Gartner recommends a "talent remix": using AI to reshape jobs and move employees from low-productivity work into new roles. Analyst Tori Paulman said that when executives look back on the early AI era, they will see their greatest mistake was believing automation was the point when amplification was the opportunity. It is a forecast of employer behavior, not a measured rehiring rate.