SHL survey finds AI-replaced workers are being rehired

SHL has published research suggesting some employers are rehiring workers they had previously replaced with artificial intelligence. The survey found the pattern among workers in the US and UK.

It found that 16% of workers said they had been replaced by AI and were later asked to return by the same employer. The figure rose to 19% in the US. Overall, 52% of respondents said it had either happened to them, to someone they knew, or that they had heard of it happening.

The data came from a survey of 2,036 employed adults aged 18 and over across the two countries. The responses point to a wider problem for employers trying to automate work without a clear understanding of the skills already within their organisations.

Young workers appeared to be the most exposed. Among those aged 18 to 24, 24% said they had been replaced by AI and later asked back, while 36% said they knew someone to whom it had happened.

The research also suggested workers asked to return may seek better conditions before agreeing. More than half, 51%, said they would want a significant pay rise to go back. Meanwhile, 42% said they would want written job security guarantees and 40% said they would want full transparency on how AI would be used in their role. Only 8% said they would refuse to return under any circumstances.

Hidden skills

Beyond the rehiring trend, SHL's broader survey examined how workers view career development and internal mobility. Two-thirds of respondents, 66%, said they believed they would need to leave their current employer to advance their career.

That view sat alongside strong support for retraining and internal progression. The survey found that 83% would retrain to secure a more senior role, 82% would retrain for a different role altogether, and 89% would take part in a formal skills assessment to show what they could do.

Many also said they wanted employers to do more to highlight opportunities already available within the business. Some 84% said they wanted their employer to proactively show them internal roles matching their skills and experience.

Managers' visibility of employee skills emerged as a central issue. Only 42% of workers said their manager fully understood their skills beyond their current role. Among workers who believed their skills were underused, one in five said their manager did not know those skills existed.

SHL also found signs that internal movement may be constrained by line managers' interests. Nearly a third, 31%, cited managers not wanting to lose good people as a main barrier to moving internally.

At the same time, many workers still saw external recruitment as employers' preferred route. The survey found that 59% of US workers and 49% of UK workers believed their employer favoured outside candidates over developing existing staff.

Lucy Beaumont, senior vice president of product and design at SHL, said: "The striking thing about this research is how willing people are to prove what they can do. Employees are saying, 'assess me, develop me, show me where I could go next'. Yet organizations continue to invest time and money searching the external market for individuals with skills and experience that they may already have."

The findings come as companies continue to review staffing needs alongside investment in AI tools and wider changes in workforce planning. The survey suggested decisions to automate may overlook employees whose abilities extend beyond their current job titles.

Engagement was also closely tied to advancement. Nearly 80% of respondents said the prospect of career progression increased their fulfilment and engagement at work, indicating a direct link between visible development paths and retention.

Beaumont said: "The biggest missed opportunity for leaders and businesses today is overlooking the talent they have. The next era of workforce strategy needs to bring greater visibility, helping leaders to see, develop, and mobilize the skills their organizations already have."