OPINION: How AI is impacting the monthly job numbers

For nearly a century, monthly job reports from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics have functioned as the nation’s economic checkup. Policymakers, economists, and the public wait as the numbers come out each month and use them to predict the direction the economy is moving in. Historically, the indicators of a growing or failing economy from the reports have been correct. That was before artificial intelligence (AI). Today, AI is rapidly distorting the relationship between job growth and economic health. By the numbers, the World Economic Forum predicts that 92 million jobs will be disrupted or replaced by AI by 2030. At the same time, AI is predicted to contribute to 170 million newly created jobs. In total, AI will likely result in a net growth of 78 million jobs. Big picture, the economic growth and job creation will be positive. That’s not to say we aren’t seeing negative signs early on. The U.S. economy added 782,000 jobs in the first half of 2025, the slowest job growth in the United States since 2010, excluding the pandemic-impacted year of 2020. And although the unemployment rate currently sits at a relatively healthy 4.1%, growing fears of AI replacing human workers is causing a quiet panic among the workforce. Citing artificial intelligence as the reason, U.S. companies cut nearly 78,000 tech-related jobs in just the first six months of 2025. Layoffs will continue. But soon enough, job titles such as AI officers, robotics technicians, AI trainers, and more will open up. Whether you are pro-AI or anti-AI, its impact on the job market is undeniable. The best way to protect yourself is to learn and familiarize yourself with AI. Perhaps the most notable change from AI is the productivity paradox where less employees equals more results. With AI, companies can do more with fewer people. Microsoft’s AI tools now enable engineers to write more code in less time. At IBM, HR functions have been consolidated under chatbots. Canva cut entire departments of writers, relying instead on AI to generate documentation. These efficiencies aren’t boosting headcounts, they’re slashing them. But the resulting productivity gains make companies more profitable, masking the pain felt by workers and communities. In a sign of how seriously we need to take AIs impact on the workforce, New York State recently updated its WARN Act to require companies to identify when layoffs are tied to AI. The more reporting and understanding we have on AI, the better picture we will be able to paint. The future of work isn’t just about how many jobs we have, it’s about what kind of jobs they are, who gets to do them, and how long they last. Until our metrics evolve to reflect those realities, job numbers will continue to offer an incomplete picture of the economy. We need new indicators to predict economic growth based on jobs: AI-displacement tracking, underemployment rates for degree holders, and labor productivity per employee. And we need to treat automation and AI disruption as macroeconomic forces, not niche tech trends. The job market isn’t collapsing. But it is changing in ways never before seen. If we want an accurate understanding of where the economy is heading, we must stop treating job reports as a proxy of prosperity and do more in depth reporting and understanding of how AI continues to impact the workforce.                        

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Zak Ali is the U.S. general manager of Finder, a global fintech company. He is an SEO and marketing expert analyzing the future of work as it pertains to artificial intelligence. Prior to Finder, Zak co-founded Rantt, Inc., a social media and news organization for private communities.