Hey friend,

I'll be straight with you: the conversation about AI and jobs has shifted from "if" to "how fast." While we were busy updating our LinkedIn profiles and networking, AI became directly responsible for over 27,000 tech job cuts since 2023 (CBS News, 2025). This isn't some distant threat we can plan for next year—it's happening now, and the data is both sobering and surprisingly actionable.

If you're reading this after a layoff, there's a good chance AI played a role, even if your former employer called it "restructuring" or "optimization." The brutal truth? Companies are being deliberately vague about AI's role in layoffs (CNBC, 2025) because admitting it "invites blowback from employees, the public, and even regulators."

But here's what most career advice gets wrong: this isn't about learning to coexist with AI. It's about understanding that the entire employment landscape has fundamentally changed, and your next move needs to account for that reality.

Here's what the research reveals about professionals navigating this transition:

✔️ 1 in 3 laid-off workers haven't even considered upskilling in AI or digital tools
✔️ 19% aren't confident their current skills are competitive in today's market
✔️ 29% of hiring managers now only hire candidates proficient in AI or AI-related skills
✔️ Among those who found new jobs, 58% are earning less than before their layoff
✔️ Workers spending time on AI training average 26 hours applying and interviewing vs. those who don't

Recent Nexford University research (Nexford University, 2025) surveying 800 recently laid-off Americans reveals the stark reality: professionals who ignored AI integration are facing longer job searches and lower offers. The kicker? 62% of laid-off workers believe learning AI skills will improve their long-term job security, but only 26% have actually explored AI tools or training since being laid off.

The Acceleration Is Real:

The Skills Gap Is Widening:

The Investment Reality:

1. Audit Your Current Role Through an AI Lens Use The Washington Post's AI Job Impact Tool to see exactly how AI affects your specific role. The research shows that 56% of tasks in computer and math jobs can be automated or augmented (Washington Post, 2025), but the key is understanding which tasks are automation vs. augmentation.

2. Master the Big Three AI Tools (This Month)

3. Build Your AI Portfolio Document specific examples of how you've used AI to:

4. Target AI-Adjacent Roles New roles emerging include AI maintenance technicians, AI ethics specialists, and AI compliance managers (WINS Solutions, 2025). These often don't require advanced degrees but do require understanding how AI systems work.

5. Leverage Your Human Edge Focus on skills that complement AI: complex judgment, creativity, empathy, and strategic thinking (WINS Solutions, 2025). The most valuable professionals will be those who can direct AI tools effectively while providing the human insight that machines can't replicate.

This week, invest exactly 120 minutes in this structured AI evaluation:

Hour 1: Skills Gap Analysis (60 minutes)

Hour 2: Strategic Planning (60 minutes)

Free AI Training Platforms:

AI Tool Comparison Guides:

"The optimistic case is that if you think a machine can do some tasks but not all, the tasks the machine can automate or do will free up people to concentrate on different aspects of a job. It might be that you would see 20 percent or 30 percent of the tasks that a professor could do being done by AI, but the other 80 percent or 70 percent are things that might be complementary to what an AI might produce."

— Christopher Stanton, Marvin Bower Associate Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School (Harvard Gazette, July 2025)

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This is just the beginning. We're building something real here — together.

This shift isn't optional—companies are posting record profits while cutting thousands of jobs (Final Round AI, 2025). But here's what most people miss: 62% of laid-off workers want to work for companies that support AI upskilling (Nexford University, 2025). The demand for AI-literate professionals is surging just as fast as the displacement.

You're not behind—you're positioned. The 2-hour challenge above isn't homework; it's your head start. While others panic about AI taking jobs, you're learning to make AI work for you.

The future belongs to those who adapt fastest. Start this week… maybe today.

You’re ready for what’s next.

You’ve got this.

Win
Fellow layoff survivor, creator of Let Go Weekly