The True Reality of the U.S. Labor Market: A Call for AI Regulation and Accountability
In the video above, Kevin is seen facing another difficult day in his ongoing journey of searching for work. After being out of a job for a year due to the widespread adoption of AI in the tech industry, he found himself once again walking around his town, trying to secure any opportunity. Despite his 10 years of experience as a data analyst, Kevin has been unable to find employment since companies have streamlined their operations with automation, leaving him displaced in the workforce. His financial situation has become dire, and with no money in his bank account and hunger setting in, Kevin had no choice but to approach a local Starbucks and ask if they had any food to spare. In a small but meaningful act of kindness, they gave him a sandwich for free, offering him some relief in the midst of his challenging circumstances.
Over the past year, the labor market has experienced a dramatic shift, especially in sectors like tech. Once a thriving landscape full of opportunity, it has now become a space of uncertainty, instability, and exclusion for many skilled professionals. As automation and artificial intelligence (AI) continue to reshape the workforce, millions are left questioning not only their job security but also the role our leaders are playing in this transformation.
I’ve experienced this reality firsthand, having spent the past year searching for a new role in the tech industry as a data analyst. With over a decade of experience and a solid educational background, I’ve applied to hundreds of positions, only to be met with silence. The hiring landscape has become so brutal that it feels as though you must physically walk into a company, resume in hand, to beg for work.
The AI Impact: Quietly Taking Over Jobs
The rise of AI, especially in the tech sector, has led to a severe contraction in hiring. While many businesses celebrate the efficiency and cost-cutting benefits of automation, the human cost is often ignored. It’s no longer just customer service agents or factory workers who are being displaced. Highly educated, experienced professionals in fields like data analysis, software engineering, and cybersecurity are now facing unemployment as AI tools increasingly replace these roles.
The true impact of AI on the workforce is still being hidden behind rosy unemployment statistics that paint a misleading picture. In California, for example, the official unemployment numbers don’t reflect the reality on the ground. People are struggling to find not just jobs in tech but in other industries, too. Manufacturing, customer service, and administrative roles are also slowly but surely being automated, leaving workers across the spectrum scrambling to make ends meet.
The Hiring Freeze and Job Scarcity
Throughout this past year, the tech industry has been hit with mass layoffs, with tech companies cutting roughly 120,000 jobs, according to Layoffs.fyi, a website tracking job losses in the tech sector.
Most of these layoffs are a result of companies streamlining operations with AI to increase profits, amid hiring freezes and restructuring efforts aimed at cutting costs. These figures are often not mentioned in mainstream media. On the contrary, the narrative often paints a picture of a stabilizing labor market, but the numbers don’t lie, and the thousands of families struggling every single day don’t lie either. The combination of AI integration and the economic aftershocks from recent global crises has made the job market even more competitive. Even those who are highly qualified are finding it nearly impossible to land interviews, let alone secure new positions.
We often hear that we need to “upskill” or “reskill” to remain competitive in the evolving market, but what happens when the entire landscape is dominated by AI, and there are simply fewer roles available for humans? What happens when employers prefer machines over people, even if the latter have decades of expertise?
The Need for Federal AI Regulation
This brings us to the crux of the issue: the lack of AI regulation and accountability from our leaders. The unregulated proliferation of AI across industries is not just displacing jobs—it’s creating an uneven playing field where corporations have the power to replace human labor without consequence. And yet, the topic of AI regulation has been largely ignored in political debates and election cycles.
Why isn’t this a priority? Why aren’t our leaders addressing the real, lived experience of millions of Americans who can’t find jobs due to the unchecked rise of automation? We cannot keep sweeping this under the rug, pretending it’s not happening, while so many families are struggling.
Federal regulation is not about stifling innovation—it’s about ensuring that AI is used ethically and responsibly. We need frameworks that protect workers and ensure that technological advancements do not come at the cost of livelihoods. If we continue down this path, we could face a future where entire industries are run by AI, with the vast majority of the workforce rendered obsolete.
Accountability and Action
It’s time for a national conversation about AI and the future of work. Ignoring this problem won’t make it go away—it will only make it worse. AI is here to stay, and if we don’t put guardrails in place now, we risk a future of mass unemployment, economic inequality, and, potentially in the long term, social unrest. The peaceful Hollywood strike from the summer of 2023, which lasted almost 4.5 months, shows the extent of what workers have to do to fight for their jobs in these unprecedented times of technological advancement. Tools like ChatGPT were threatening not only writers’ skill sets but also actors, as AI-generated content posed a significant threat to their roles. The question remains: Will all sectors have to go on strike at some point to express their discontent, or can the U.S. government be proactive enough to establish clear guardrails on the extent to which these technologies can be used by private companies across all industries? Only time will tell. Meanwhile, thousands of Americans are suffering every single day like myself throughout multiple sectors. One striking example occurred in April of this year, when 65,000 jobs were lost due to AI advancements.
We need our leaders to acknowledge the scale of this issue and act swiftly. Regulation is not optional; it is a necessity. Companies must be held accountable for the impact of automation, and we must push for policies that prioritize human workers in this new AI-driven world.
The future of work depends on it.
A Call to Action
I refuse to stay silent. My experience is not unique, and I know many others are in the same position. If we don’t speak up now, more people will lose their jobs, and we could be facing an economic crisis unlike any we’ve seen before.
Let’s demand that our leaders act—let’s demand federal AI regulation, accountability, and protection for workers. The stakes couldn’t be higher, and the time to act is now.
Join the conversation:
Share your story on social media, raise awareness, one voice at a time, we can make a difference and push for action. We need a collective voice to demand change before it’s too late.
