{"id":946032,"date":"2026-10-25T19:00:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-25T19:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/946032\/"},"modified":"2026-10-25T19:00:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-25T19:00:12","slug":"reversing-course-workers-replaced-by-ai-are-being-asked-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/946032\/","title":{"rendered":"Reversing course: Workers replaced by AI are being asked back"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Good_Stock\/iStockPhoto \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

This is the weekly Work Life newsletter. If you are interested in more careers-related content, sign up<\/a> to receive it in your inbox.<\/p>\n

Imagine being replaced by artificial intelligence at work, only to get a call from the same employer asking you to return.<\/p>\n

For some workers, that scenario is already a reality.<\/p>\n

New research<\/a> from talent assessment company SHL found that 16 per cent of U.S. and U.K. workers surveyed say they\u2019ve personally been replaced by AI and later asked back by the same employer. That figure jumps to 19 per cent in the U.S., compared with 13 per cent in the U.K.<\/p>\n

The findings come from SHL\u2019s Talent Mobility at Work in 2026: The Hidden Workforce report, based on a survey of 2,036 employed adults across the two countries.<\/p>\n

Lucy Beaumont, senior vice-president of product and design at SHL, says the trend, which the company calls \u201cAI rebounding,\u201d suggests some employers are moving too quickly to reduce costs without fully understanding what employees contribute.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pattern we see is automate first, understand the work second. That\u2019s backwards,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Ms. Beaumont says AI might be effective at completing specific tasks, but it can\u2019t necessarily replace the judgment, customer knowledge and relationships that come with a role.<\/p>\n

The research found nearly half of workers say their employer is introducing AI tools, but only 24 per cent say jobs or processes are being redesigned around AI capabilities.<\/p>\n

Part of the problem is that employers might not recognize the skills they\u2019re losing. Just 42 per cent of respondents say their manager fully understands their skills beyond their job title.<\/p>\n

Younger workers could be particularly vulnerable, with 24 per cent of those ages 18 to 24 saying they\u2019ve experienced AI rebounding.<\/p>\n

Ms. Beaumont says entry-level jobs often involve tasks that are easier to automate, but they also provide opportunities to build experience and develop judgment. \u201cIf you automate the bottom rung of the career ladder, you can\u2019t be surprised when you run short of people to climb it,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

For employees, being asked back doesn\u2019t necessarily mean returning under the same conditions.<\/p>\n

The survey found 51 per cent of workers would want a significant pay increase before returning, 42 per cent would want written job-security guarantees and 40 per cent would want full transparency about how AI would be used in their role.<\/p>\n

Ms. Beaumont says these reversals could also damage morale and retention among employees who remain.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrust is the real currency of the AI era. It takes years to build and one badly judged decision to lose,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Before replacing employees with AI, Ms. Beaumont recommends assessing their broader skills, considering whether roles could be redesigned instead of eliminated and exploring retraining opportunities. She also says HR leaders need to be involved in automation decisions from the beginning.<\/p>\n

\u201cReplacing people with AI saves on this year\u2019s cost base. Elevating people with AI is how you grow the business,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Fast factFaking it <\/p>\n

86 per cent<\/p>\n

That\u2019s how many workers say they faked enthusiasm at least once in the last week, according to a survey from online resume builder Kickresume. <\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

Career guidanceConnection request<\/p>\n

Are the messages you\u2019re sending on LinkedIn actually helping you make new connections and grow your professional network?<\/p>\n

LinkedIn career expert Catherine Fisher says when reaching out to someone, clearly explain what you\u2019re hoping to gain, demonstrate that you\u2019ve done your research and make your ask manageable \u2013 for example, requesting a 15-minute conversation with three prepared questions. The more specific and thoughtful your request, the easier it is for someone to understand how they can help and respond positively.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

QuotedQuitting culture<\/p>\n

\u201cMany of us have a deeply dysfunctional relationship with the act of quitting. Our beliefs that fuel this dysfunction aren\u2019t just wrong \u2013 they\u2019re bad for us. They\u2019ve led to a chronic obsession with perseverance at all costs, and are causing us to live in a limiting, and even unhealthy, way,\u201d journalist Lindsay Crouse writes in The Case for Quitting.<\/p>\n

Here, Harvey Schachter summarizes some of Ms. Crouse\u2019s reflections on perseverance and quitting, including why quitting is a valuable skill that people must be willing to learn.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

On our radarEmpty plates<\/p>\n

Canada\u2019s food banks recorded a record 2.35 million monthly visits this year as more Canadians struggled to afford food alongside other basic necessities. Visits increased nearly 9 per cent over last year and have more than doubled since 2019.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: Good_Stock\/iStockPhoto \/ Getty Images This is the weekly Work Life newsletter. If you…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":946033,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[62,276,277,49,48,2924,22463,22464,22460,22459,1663,22465,124,1412,2922,61,22462,18940,22461],"class_list":["post-946032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-artificial-intelligence","tag-ai","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-artificialintelligence","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-career-advice","tag-career-leadership","tag-careers-globe-and-mail","tag-careers-newsletter","tag-careersnewsletter","tag-future-of-work","tag-globe-and-mail-newsletter","tag-jobs","tag-newsletter","tag-noastack","tag-technology","tag-thought-leadership","tag-workplace-culture","tag-your-life-at-work"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/946032","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=946032"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/946032\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/946033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=946032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=946032"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=946032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}