99% of CEOs Expect AI-Driven Layoffs in the Next Two Years

Oh, splendid. Another survey confirming what anyone with half a brain already suspected: CEOs are sharpening their redundancy knives and blaming artificial intelligence. Mercer's Global Talent Trends report reveals that 99% of chief executives anticipate AI-driven layoffs within the next two years — that’s near-unanimous, the sort of consensus usually reserved for 'oxygen is good' and 'bonuses are deserved'. And where will the axe fall? On early-career positions, naturally. Because nothing says 'welcome to the professional world' like being replaced by a large language model before you've even learned where the coffee machine is.

The cowardice is staggering. By targeting the most junior and least politically connected staff, executives can frame the bloodbath as 'strategic workforce realignment' while ensuring their own roles remain untouched. The Mercer report gives them perfect cover: it's not greed, it's a trend. When 99% of your peers are doing it, it's not a layoff; it's industry standard practice. Never mind that many of these AI systems are still prone to hallucination and error; the important thing is the quarterly earnings call.

And what of the long-term consequences? If every major company simultaneously guts its entry-level roles, where does the next generation of experienced hires come from? That's tomorrow's problem, and tomorrow's CEOs — who will probably be AI agents by then — can deal with it. For now, the message to young workers is clear: you trained for four years to be replaced by a glorified autocomplete. Welcome to the future. It's not quite what the brochures promised.