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AI-induced layoffs cross 1.3L mark! These jobs are still safe
15 May 2026

The year 2026 has witnessed a staggering number of layoffs in the tech industry, with over 1.28 lakh workers losing their jobs across 286 separate events.

The trend is particularly pronounced among major companies such as Microsoft, LinkedIn, Amazon, Meta, Cisco, and PayPal.

These firms have collectively announced thousands of job cuts this year as they continue to restructure their operations around artificial intelligence (AI).

AI operations and maintenance
Job market shift

Despite the massive layoffs, not all job roles are disappearing. In fact, some are becoming more crucial as companies integrate AI into their daily operations.

Among these are AI operations and maintenance roles. These professionals monitor AI systems, troubleshoot deployment issues, manage workflows, and ensure models function properly within enterprise environments.

Infrastructure and debugging engineers
Skill requirement

Companies are also on the lookout for engineers who can supervise AI agents and detect errors generated by automated coding systems.

As AI-generated software becomes more prevalent, there's still a demand for experienced engineers who understand infrastructure, debugging, and production environments.

The report notes that many businesses now prefer hiring senior engineers with knowledge of AI instead of expanding large engineering teams.

Cybersecurity professionals
Job stability

Cybersecurity is another area that remains stable amid the tech layoffs.

As companies deploy more AI tools internally, concerns over data leaks, vulnerabilities, and cyberattacks are on the rise.

Security analysts, cloud security engineers, and threat response teams are still in demand as these roles require decision-making, risk analysis, and real-time response capabilities that AI systems cannot fully handle independently.

Solutions engineers
Emerging roles

Another role gaining prominence is that of solutions engineers.

These professionals help companies integrate AI systems into existing software stacks, business workflows, and customer platforms.

Industry executives believe nearly every sector will require specialists who understand both enterprise systems and AI deployment.

Experts also highlight that communication and collaboration skills are becoming increasingly important in hiring processes as AI takes over repetitive workloads.