According to LinkedIn, AI is not responsible for the decline in staffing… yet
During an interview at the Semafor World Economy Summit this week, LinkedIn’s Chief Global Affairs and Legal Officer, Blake Lawit, confirmed a significant cooling in the labor market. According to LinkedIn’s internal data, hiring rates have seen a steady decline of approximately 20% since 2022.
Despite the cooling market, Lawit was quick to dismiss the notion that AI is responsible for the slowdown. Drawing on LinkedIn’s “economic graph”—a real-time dataset of over a billion members—he explained that the company has actively searched for signs of AI-driven job displacement. “Honestly, we haven’t seen it,” Lawit stated, noting that despite the intense public curiosity, the data doesn’t currently support the idea that AI is impacting overall employment levels.
Instead, the official suggested that interest rate increases are more closely linked to reduced hiring.
In areas where everyone is talking about AI, such as various industries—whether it’s customer service, administration, or marketing—we haven’t seen the expected impact. All of these areas would have seen the impact of AI,” Lowitt added.
Lawit emphasized that while hiring has slowed, it hasn’t plummeted disproportionately in AI-sensitive fields. “Yes, hiring’s down, but not down more,” he clarified. Furthermore, LinkedIn’s data suggests that the downturn hasn’t uniquely penalized the youngest demographic; the decline in hiring for college-aged adults entering the workforce is consistent with the rates seen for mid-career and senior professionals.
Still, he did not rule out the possibility of the situation changing. “That doesn’t mean it won’t happen in the future, but not yet.”
While the headcount remains stable, Lawit issued a significant warning regarding the nature of the work itself. He noted that the skills required for the average role have already shifted by 25% over the last few years. With the continued integration of AI, LinkedIn projects that this transformation will accelerate dramatically, reaching a 70% shift in required skills by 2030.
