AI is triggering a quiet hiring comeback for some entry-level talent, say public company CEOs

• A new survey shows CEOs expect AI to boost hiring in 2026, especially for entry-level roles.
• Firms are ramping up hiring in engineering and AI-related roles, according to a report by Teneo.
• The hiring uptick is tied to a broader surge in corporate AI investment.

AI may be blamed for this year's layoffs, but a new global survey says the technology could fuel a rebound in some entry-level hiring next year.

Public-company CEOs say AI is creating more jobs in 2026, according to an annual outlook survey conducted by advisory firm Teneo released this month. Sixty-seven percent of the CEOs surveyed said they expect AI to increase entry-level hiring in 2026, and 58% said they plan to add senior-leadership roles as well.

The report said that firms are ramping up hiring in engineering and AI-related roles. Many existing jobs are being reconfigured or reassigned as certain tasks become increasingly automated.

The survey, conducted between October 14 and November 10, gathered responses from more than 350 global CEOs leading public companies with at least $1 billion in annual revenue, as well as about 400 institutional investors representing $19 trillion in portfolio value.

The findings run counter to the prevailing narrative that AI is automating entire jobs away.

"It's not that AI is wiping out the workforce today — it's reshaping it," said Ryan Cox, Teneo's global head of AI.

The hiring momentum mirrors a broader surge in corporate AI investment. Sixty-eight percent of CEOs said they plan to increase AI spending next year, up from 66% in 2025. Nearly nine in 10 CEOs said AI is already helping their organizations navigate disruption.

All that spending has raised expectations. More than half of investors said they expect AI initiatives to show results in under six months. CEOs aren't so sure: Only 16% of leaders at large-cap companies — with annual revenue of $10 billion or more — said such fast returns are realistic.

AI is reshaping the workforce

Fears that AI will eliminate human jobs have intensified as more companies announce layoffs tied to automation.

HP said in a November earnings report that it plans to eliminate between 4,000 and 6,000 roles by the end of 2028 — a move expected to save about $1 billion. IBM announced in November that it would reduce its workforce by a "single-digit percentage" in the fourth quarter of 2025.

But the shift isn't as simple as workers being replaced by machines. IBM CEO Arvind Krishna told CNN in October that the company is simultaneously shifting head count toward AI and quantum computing, and plans to ramp up hiring of college graduates in the next year. AI adoption has also driven demand for programmers and sales employees, he told The Wall Street Journal in May.

AI has created new job categories as it reshapes old ones. Titles such as decision designer and AI experience officer are emerging in the workforce, workplace experts said in a Business Insider report earlier this month. These roles focus on guiding AI systems and enhancing human-AI collaboration.