Gartner predicts 30% of AI-replaced employees will be rehired by 2029

Gartner predicts that by 2029, 30% of employees terminated and replaced by AI will be rehired.[1] Its headline makes the forecast conditional on organizations not overhauling workforce planning.[1] Gartner says organizations are struggling to align workforce decisions with evolving business needs.[1] The forecast therefore points to a risk in making staffing decisions without matching them to the work an organization expects to need. For workforce leaders, a practical response is to test proposed AI-related cuts against future work requirements and the possibility of bringing employees back. Gartner says that rehiring will often come at a higher cost.[1]

BW People reports that only 19% of companies have effective workforce-planning practices.[2] It says companies that cut jobs before assessing future work requirements risk reversing those decisions, and that reversing workforce cuts could cost companies more.[2] Those points complement Gartner’s warning about higher-cost rehiring, but they do not establish that every AI-related job cut will be reversed.[1][2] Organizations considering workforce changes can use the forecast as a reason to examine the work they will need, the roles that support it, and the costs of changing course. Gartner says its research offers guidance on avoiding the costly “cutting fast, rehiring later” trap.[3]

Gartner says three out of four service and support organizations face some pressure to reshape their workforce because of AI.[3] It says that pressure is largely driven by media headlines and vendor promises about AI, and is not based on the current reality.[3] Gartner’s research addresses what is happening now, how customer service leaders prioritize strategic objectives with AI, and how AI is reshaping the workforce.[3] The research abstract was published on October 9, 2026.[3] For service and support leaders, the distinction Gartner draws is a reason to assess actual work and business needs before treating outside pressure as a staffing plan.