AI was supposed to kill tech jobs. The data on job openings says otherwise.
Recent data indicates that tech job openings are rising despite fears that AI would lead to mass unemployment in the sector. While software hiring remains stable, there is a notable surge in demand for hardware engineers and infrastructure roles related to AI development.
Why it matters
This analysis challenges the narrative that AI is purely destructive to the labor market, suggesting instead that it is shifting the focus toward physical infrastructure and specialized engineering.
Mechanical systems expert Chris David leads a tour of Meta's data center in Temple, Texas. Mikala Compton/The Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images A version of this story originally appeared in the AI Insider newsletter. Sign up for Business Insider's weekly AI Insider newsletter here . Fears that AI will wipe out tech jobs aren't showing up in the data. Job openings at tech companies are climbing, while layoffs continue to ease after a brutal industry reset following the pandemic, according to new data from TrueUp , a hiring platform that tracks more than 9,000 technology companies. TrueUp is currently tracking more than 280,000 open tech jobs across startups and big tech firms, up strongly from the start of 2026. Layoffs haven't disappeared, but they're no longer happening at anything like the pace of the post-pandemic downturn.
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