Via Chrys Brent Deiparine, International Business Times

Executives foresee AI-driven job cuts, raising concerns about job security and the future of entry-level positions.

Artificial intelligence is no longer a future workplace disruption. For many executives, it is already becoming a workforce strategy.

A new Mercer survey of 825 C-suite leaders found that 99% of CEOs expect AI to result in at least some headcount reduction within the next two years, underscoring how quickly automation is moving from a productivity tool to a driver of workforce restructuring.

The findings arrive as workers are already showing signs of growing anxiety about their job prospects. Mercer’s 2026 Global Talent Trends report found employee ‘thriving’ has fallen from 66% in 2024 to 44% in 2026, while 40% of workers now fear losing their jobs because of AI.

For employees, the concern is not simply whether jobs disappear. It is whether they can clearly demonstrate value in a labour market where routine tasks are increasingly being automated. That is the risk personal finance expert Suze Orman says many workers underestimate.

The Mercer findings suggest corporate leaders are becoming increasingly confident that AI can replace or reduce certain categories of work.

That shift is already showing up in employment data. According to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, employers announced more than 97,000 job cuts in May 2026, the highest monthly total since 2020. Roughly 40% of employers cited AI as a primary factor behind those reductions.