AI has been blamed for this year's layoffs, but a new global study says the technology could drive a rebound in some entry-level hiring next year.
CEOs of publicly traded companies say AI will create even more jobs in 2026, according to an annual outlook survey conducted by advisory firm Teneo released this month. 67 percent were CEOs surveyed expect AI to increase entry-level hiring in 2026, and 58% said they plan to add senior leadership roles as well.
According to the report, companies are ramping up hiring for engineering and AI-related roles. As certain tasks become increasingly automated, many existing jobs are being reconfigured or reassigned.
The survey was conducted from October 14th to November 10th and collected responses from more than 350 global CEOs of publicly traded companies with annual revenues of $1 billion or more, and approximately 400 institutional investors representing $19 trillion in portfolio value.
This finding goes against the common belief that AI is automating entire jobs.
“AI is not wiping out today's workforce; it is reshaping it,” said Ryan Cox, global head of AI at Teneo.
This adoption momentum reflects a broader surge in enterprise AI investment. 68% of CEOs say they plan to increase spending on AI next year, up from 66% in 2025. Nearly nine in 10 CEOs say AI is already helping their organization weather disruption.
All this spending is raising expectations. More than half of investors said they expected to see results from their AI efforts within six months. CEOs aren't so confident. Only 16% of leaders of large companies with annual sales of $10 billion or more said such quick returns were realistic.
AI is reshaping the workforce
Concerns that AI will eliminate human jobs are growing as more companies announce automation-related layoffs.
HP said in its November earnings call that it plans to eliminate 4,000 to 6,000 roles by the end of 2028, which is expected to save about $1 billion. IBM announced in November that it would reduce its workforce by a “single-digit percentage” in the fourth quarter of 2025.
However, the change will not be as simple as replacing workers with machines. IBM CEO Arvind Krishna told CNN in October that the company is simultaneously shifting its workforce to AI and quantum computing and plans to hire more college graduates next year. He told the Wall Street Journal in May that the introduction of AI is also increasing demand for programmers and salespeople.
AI is reshaping old jobs and creating new ones at the same time. Workplace experts said in a Business Insider report earlier this month that roles such as decision designer and AI experience officer are emerging in the workplace. These roles focus on coaching AI systems and enhancing human-AI collaboration.
