The JOLTs data showed a massive surge in job openings posted in April. Some people claiming they are not real.

What if AI is actually creating more jobs than it is replacing?

The latest JOLTs data showed that US job openings surged by a massive 731,000 jobs in April.

Markets were expecting no change, resulting in the largest beat in JOLTs history.

As a result, available employment hit… pic.twitter.com/HE8q8wGJpV

— The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) June 3, 2026

Any data on fortune 500 versus smaller company job openings?

My theory is that AI is going to lead to smaller economies of scale, and more entrepreneurship.

TexAgs91 said:

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Once AI moves from being a tool to having agency that will change.

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I'm not sure the guy closer to retirement than anything is an AI expert.

Care to share your knowledge? You were pretty vague.

TexAgs91 said:

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Once AI moves from being a tool to having agency that will change.

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Time to ban these kinds of AI.

I am in favor of banning tech that harms society and turns it into 3rd world status. The Government needs to step in at the right time. AI corps cannot hijack society.

I don't know jack about the JOLTs report, but could this pop be due to employers trying to replace recently deported illegals?

northeastag said:

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I don't know jack about the JOLTs report, but could this pop be due to employers trying to replace recently deported illegals?

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The main category of new openings was professional and business services, about 668,000 positions.

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/02/job-openings-april-2026.html

That's why folks are claiming they are fake openings by companies - never intending to fill them - in an attempt to mitigate the backlash against AI RIFs.

employers hiring back workers they impulsively fired in anticipation of fake AI productivity gains?

CrackerJackAg said:

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TexAgs91 said:

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Once AI moves from being a tool to having agency that will change.

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I'm not sure the guy closer to retirement than anything is an AI expert.

Care to share your knowledge? You were pretty vague.

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I've worked with LLMs in my last job and my current job as both a project manager and a developer, so I've both designed architectures that use LLMs and developed applications in aviation and aerospace. I have experience using them via APIs and developed multiple agent systems that can run projects on their own.

Before the last job I also have experience with OpenCV (computer vision).

Does that work for you?

The way we're using AI now is as a tool to amplify our ability to work tasks, develop software and make software more intelligent.

AI can plan tasks, but it still has no goals other than what you give it. If you ask an LLM "what do you want to do today", it "wants" to help you with your goals. An AI isn't going to decide it wants to create a new project or start a business unless it's part of a goal it's been given.

Once it reaches that stage it's got the drive, the ambition and the know how to do everything end to end. That's when you'll see mass layoffs.

-- the ramblings of an Old

TexAgs91 said:

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CrackerJackAg said:

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TexAgs91 said:

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Once AI moves from being a tool to having agency that will change.

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I'm not sure the guy closer to retirement than anything is an AI expert.

Care to share your knowledge? You were pretty vague.

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I've worked with LLMs in my last job and my current job as both a project manager and a developer, so I've both designed architectures that use LLMs and developed applications in aviation and aerospace. I have experience using them via APIs and developed multiple agent systems that can run projects on their own.

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That is very cool man, I am impressed. I also work along those lines. The C levels in my company are forming a new AI team which would be fast paced for specific goals, so I am trying to get into that. Just had an internal interview this morning with someone in the UK. I hope I get selected.

These days I'm learning about agents from the engineering perspective.

Logos Stick said:

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northeastag said:

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I don't know jack about the JOLTs report, but could this pop be due to employers trying to replace recently deported illegals?

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The main category of new openings was professional and business services, about 668,000 positions.

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/02/job-openings-april-2026.html

That's why folks are claiming they are fake openings by companies - never intending to fill them - in an attempt to mitigate the backlash against AI RIFs.

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I am currently employed and I love my team, boss, work etc... but it always makes sense to keep applying and testing one's market value. So I applied to this job at PayPal.
Got this:

Quote:

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We really appreciate the time and effort you took to connect with us and apply for the position: R0132250 Principal AI Product Manager position. We are no longer hiring for this role, though we encourage you to apply for other opportunities that match your background and skills. Visit our PayPal Careers page to explore what's currently available.

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If they rejected me with "we picked better candidates" that is part of the deal, but PayPal claims they are no longer hiring for this role. So the role got canceled or put on hold

Hmm.. but why is that job still on their jobs website?

https://wd1.myworkdaysite.com/recruiting/paypal/jobs/job/San-Jose-California-United-States-of-America/Principal-AI-Product-Manager_R0132250-1

Quote:

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Principal AI Product Manager
locations
San Jose, California, United States of America

time type
Full time

posted on
Posted 30+ Days Ago

job requisition id
R0132250

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Companies are lying to us for various reasons. In some cases we are a cover to hire/extend an H1B and in some cases they are looking to fudge some numbers to fool someone else.

The "AI" RIF's are happening. My employer has one in the works. I think they are being done in anticipation of future AI efficiency that has not yet materialized because why not claim the expense savings sooner rather than later and gamble on AI to come through before the reduced workforce gets overwhelmed.

I think also there is competitive action across markets going on to broadcast "AI savings" to potential investors. If you can't show you are able to dump headcount and related expenses then your stock looks less futureproof in the short term. There is literally a competition in the market to signal the most labor reduction potential and therefore the most AI related return potential. It is now a defensive reaction to other businesses doing the same thing.

MouthBQ98 said:

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The "AI" RIF's are happening. My employer has one in the works. I think they are being done in anticipation of future AI efficiency that has not yet materialized because why not claim the expense savings sooner rather than later and gamble on AI to come through before the reduced workforce gets overwhelmed.

I think also there is competitive action across markets going on to broadcast "AI savings" to potential investors. If you can't show you are able to dump headcount and related expenses then your stock looks less futureproof in the short term. There is literally a competition in the market to signal the most labor reduction potential and therefore the most AI related return potential. It is now a defensive reaction to other businesses doing the same thing.

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Yes, they are and you are 100% spot-on.
But they are just an example of poor leadership at the top. I follow this guy on LI, see what he said about Meta (where he worked) and how they fired people before developing a good replacement so they could claim a win for AI.

Kenneth_2003 said:

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Never in the history of mankind has a new technology led to mass unemployment or job loss.

Tractors didn't. The cotton gin didn't. The steam shovel didn't. The inventions simply reallocated the capital of human labor

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TBF, those advancements impacted very specific markets. AI is going to impact 100s of different markets.

AI won't impact manual labor and trades until there is a massive improvement in robotics.

infinity ag said:

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Logos Stick said:

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northeastag said:

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I don't know jack about the JOLTs report, but could this pop be due to employers trying to replace recently deported illegals?

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The main category of new openings was professional and business services, about 668,000 positions.

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/02/job-openings-april-2026.html

That's why folks are claiming they are fake openings by companies - never intending to fill them - in an attempt to mitigate the backlash against AI RIFs.

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I am currently employed and I love my team, boss, work etc... but it always makes sense to keep applying and testing one's market value. So I applied to this job at PayPal.
Got this:

Quote:

---

We really appreciate the time and effort you took to connect with us and apply for the position: R0132250 Principal AI Product Manager position. We are no longer hiring for this role, though we encourage you to apply for other opportunities that match your background and skills. Visit our PayPal Careers page to explore what's currently available.

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If they rejected me with "we picked better candidates" that is part of the deal, but PayPal claims they are no longer hiring for this role. So the role got canceled or put on hold

Hmm.. but why is that job still on their jobs website?

https://wd1.myworkdaysite.com/recruiting/paypal/jobs/job/San-Jose-California-United-States-of-America/Principal-AI-Product-Manager_R0132250-1

Quote:

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Principal AI Product Manager
locations
San Jose, California, United States of America

time type
Full time

posted on
Posted 30+ Days Ago

job requisition id
R0132250

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Companies are lying to us for various reasons. In some cases we are a cover to hire/extend an H1B and in some cases they are looking to fudge some numbers to fool someone else.

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I know of specific openings that will suffice an H1B hire. It's not conjecture.

infinity ag said:

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Logos Stick said:

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northeastag said:

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I don't know jack about the JOLTs report, but could this pop be due to employers trying to replace recently deported illegals?

---

The main category of new openings was professional and business services, about 668,000 positions.

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/02/job-openings-april-2026.html

That's why folks are claiming they are fake openings by companies - never intending to fill them - in an attempt to mitigate the backlash against AI RIFs.

---

I am currently employed and I love my team, boss, work etc... but it always makes sense to keep applying and testing one's market value. So I applied to this job at PayPal.
Got this:

Quote:

---

We really appreciate the time and effort you took to connect with us and apply for the position: R0132250 Principal AI Product Manager position. We are no longer hiring for this role, though we encourage you to apply for other opportunities that match your background and skills. Visit our PayPal Careers page to explore what's currently available.

---

If they rejected me with "we picked better candidates" that is part of the deal, but PayPal claims they are no longer hiring for this role. So the role got canceled or put on hold

Hmm.. but why is that job still on their jobs website?

https://wd1.myworkdaysite.com/recruiting/paypal/jobs/job/San-Jose-California-United-States-of-America/Principal-AI-Product-Manager_R0132250-1

Quote:

---

Principal AI Product Manager
locations
San Jose, California, United States of America

time type
Full time

posted on
Posted 30+ Days Ago

job requisition id
R0132250

---

Companies are lying to us for various reasons. In some cases we are a cover to hire/extend an H1B and in some cases they are looking to fudge some numbers to fool someone else.

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Sometimes they post duplicates of the same job across different geographies. So it shows 10 job openings for 1 position

I work for a fortune 20. They did a mass layoff in the fall. AI was the explanation among others. The problem was they hadn't actually figured how AI was going to make up for the lost workers. They just basically gave us a smattering of off the shelf tools, fired a bunch of people, and said figure it out. Which we still are doing. And then they limit us on the tools, the integrations, the token budgets. It's really stupid. They gave out claude code keys like candy for a few months with no instructions. I'd say 90% of the people had no clue how to use it. Then when people started using it they put draconian token budgets in place. Literally no strategy. It's dumb

Kenneth_2003 said:

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Never in the history of mankind has a new technology led to mass unemployment or job loss.

Tractors didn't. The cotton gin didn't. The steam shovel didn't. The inventions simply reallocated the capital of human labor

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When steam-powered automated looms were introduced in England, a single machine could suddenly do the work of several skilled weavers. Mill owners laid off thousands of traditional weavers and replaced them with lower-paid, unskilled workers (often children) to tend the machines.

A famous 2020 National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) study found that automation wiped out vast numbers of phone operator jobs, severely cutting down employment opportunities for young women entering the workforce during those decades.

Cranes & Shipping containers in the 60's-70's lead to major ports from New York to London having massive layoffs, union strikes, and the eventual collapse of traditional waterfront communities.

The list goes on.

Nobody really knows what's coming.

Computers wiped out typists

Pizza said:

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Kenneth_2003 said:

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Never in the history of mankind has a new technology led to mass unemployment or job loss.

Tractors didn't. The cotton gin didn't. The steam shovel didn't. The inventions simply reallocated the capital of human labor

---

When steam-powered automated looms were introduced in England, a single machine could suddenly do the work of several skilled weavers. Mill owners laid off thousands of traditional weavers and replaced them with lower-paid, unskilled workers (often children) to tend the machines.

A famous 2020 National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) study found that automation wiped out vast numbers of phone operator jobs, severely cutting down employment opportunities for young women entering the workforce during those decades.

Cranes & Shipping containers in the 60's-70's lead to major ports from New York to London having massive layoffs, union strikes, and the eventual collapse of traditional waterfront communities.

The list goes on.

Nobody really knows what's coming.

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We're not going to start exploiting child labor.
Some jobs will go away and be replaced by AI. Other jobs, just like every previous invention in history, will be created. So I'll say it again.

Quote:

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The inventions simply reallocated the capital of human labor

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The market will readjust and new jobs will be created, by the markets. to fill new needs. AI is not going to send everyone home to starve.

Steam engines need boiler makers, pipe fitters, fuel (coal), lubricants, running gear (machinists)... Everything powered by steam was in large part a new invention. Increased output would require additional inputs. Jobs change and markets shift, but the demand for physical human capital has never diminished.

It certainly wipes out jobs. But what we don't see is mass unemployment.

The only question is if AI replaces more jobs than it nukes. I'm of the opinion that it will not.

JB99 said:

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I work for a fortune 20. They did a mass layoff in the fall. AI was the explanation among others. The problem was they hadn't actually figured how AI was going to make up for the lost workers. They just basically gave us a smattering of off the shelf tools, fired a bunch of people, and said figure it out. Which we still are doing. And then they limit us on the tools, the integrations, the token budgets. It's really stupid. They gave out claude code keys like candy for a few months with no instructions. I'd say 90% of the people had no clue how to use it. Then when people started using it they put draconian token budgets in place. Literally no strategy. It's dumb

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And to my peer's point, they were going to fire those people anyway. They weren't actually fired because of AI.

I think the first signs of impact will be in college grads UE rates, which we already see... 5.7 percent in the first quarter of 2026, per the New York Fed.

The young college graduate unemployment rate today is higher than it was during the worst of the 1990 and 2001 recessions.

JB99 said:

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I work for a fortune 20. They did a mass layoff in the fall. AI was the explanation among others. The problem was they hadn't actually figured how AI was going to make up for the lost workers. They just basically gave us a smattering of off the shelf tools, fired a bunch of people, and said figure it out. Which we still are doing. And then they limit us on the tools, the integrations, the token budgets. It's really stupid. They gave out claude code keys like candy for a few months with no instructions. I'd say 90% of the people had no clue how to use it. Then when people started using it they put draconian token budgets in place. Literally no strategy. It's dumb

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bwahahahhahahhahhhahahaha

Sorry for laughing but this is the kind of leadership idiocy I've been posting about for many months now. Good to see people it for themselves.

DannyDuberstein said:

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JB99 said:

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I work for a fortune 20. They did a mass layoff in the fall. AI was the explanation among others. The problem was they hadn't actually figured how AI was going to make up for the lost workers. They just basically gave us a smattering of off the shelf tools, fired a bunch of people, and said figure it out. Which we still are doing. And then they limit us on the tools, the integrations, the token budgets. It's really stupid. They gave out claude code keys like candy for a few months with no instructions. I'd say 90% of the people had no clue how to use it. Then when people started using it they put draconian token budgets in place. Literally no strategy. It's dumb

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And to my peer's point, they were going to fire those people anyway. They weren't actually fired because of AI.

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That is corporate bs. I hope you did not believe your peer. If they fired them "anyway", why did they hire them? Corporate eff ups at a gigantic level, everything so that the top guy makes money and scoots.

Jeeper79 said:

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infinity ag said:

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Logos Stick said:

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northeastag said:

---

I don't know jack about the JOLTs report, but could this pop be due to employers trying to replace recently deported illegals?

---

The main category of new openings was professional and business services, about 668,000 positions.

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/02/job-openings-april-2026.html

That's why folks are claiming they are fake openings by companies - never intending to fill them - in an attempt to mitigate the backlash against AI RIFs.

---

I am currently employed and I love my team, boss, work etc... but it always makes sense to keep applying and testing one's market value. So I applied to this job at PayPal.
Got this:

Quote:

---

We really appreciate the time and effort you took to connect with us and apply for the position: R0132250 Principal AI Product Manager position. We are no longer hiring for this role, though we encourage you to apply for other opportunities that match your background and skills. Visit our PayPal Careers page to explore what's currently available.

---

If they rejected me with "we picked better candidates" that is part of the deal, but PayPal claims they are no longer hiring for this role. So the role got canceled or put on hold

Hmm.. but why is that job still on their jobs website?

https://wd1.myworkdaysite.com/recruiting/paypal/jobs/job/San-Jose-California-United-States-of-America/Principal-AI-Product-Manager_R0132250-1

Quote:

---

Principal AI Product Manager
locations
San Jose, California, United States of America

time type
Full time

posted on
Posted 30+ Days Ago

job requisition id
R0132250

---

Companies are lying to us for various reasons. In some cases we are a cover to hire/extend an H1B and in some cases they are looking to fudge some numbers to fool someone else.

---

I know of specific openings that will suffice an H1B hire. It's not conjecture.

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That would be every job. Including yours and mine. (which is why Boomers piously recommend we all become a nation of HVAC technicians)
Corps love slaves who will dance when you pay them peanuts.

So bottom line, I don't believe any of the rosy numbers Trump or Biden put out. I see it all around me, it's a disaster.

Hired over many years. Needs of the business evolve, getting more from less is an annual need, and life always moves on without these people. LOL at your constant rudimentary cube dweller takes on CEOs.

infinity ag said:

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MouthBQ98 said:

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The "AI" RIF's are happening. My employer has one in the works. I think they are being done in anticipation of future AI efficiency that has not yet materialized because why not claim the expense savings sooner rather than later and gamble on AI to come through before the reduced workforce gets overwhelmed.

I think also there is competitive action across markets going on to broadcast "AI savings" to potential investors. If you can't show you are able to dump headcount and related expenses then your stock looks less futureproof in the short term. There is literally a competition in the market to signal the most labor reduction potential and therefore the most AI related return potential. It is now a defensive reaction to other businesses doing the same thing.

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Yes, they are and you are 100% spot-on.
But they are just an example of poor leadership at the top. I follow this guy on LI, see what he said about Meta (where he worked) and how they fired people before developing a good replacement so they could claim a win for AI.

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Absolute dip****s

My finance leadership is barreling to this same conclusion and I can't wait for it to bite them in The ass

AI has been helpful, but I still think back to where it was confident my AVP didn't know a process that he described to me an hour earlier and one he had done for 20 years

TexAgs91 said:

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CrackerJackAg said:

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TexAgs91 said:

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Once AI moves from being a tool to having agency that will change.

---

I'm not sure the guy closer to retirement than anything is an AI expert.

Care to share your knowledge? You were pretty vague.

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I've worked with LLMs in my last job and my current job as both a project manager and a developer, so I've both designed architectures that use LLMs and developed applications in aviation and aerospace. I have experience using them via APIs and developed multiple agent systems that can run projects on their own.

Before the last job I also have experience with OpenCV (computer vision).

Does that work for you?

The way we're using AI now is as a tool to amplify our ability to work tasks, develop software and make software more intelligent.

AI can plan tasks, but it still has no goals other than what you give it. If you ask an LLM "what do you want to do today", it "wants" to help you with your goals. An AI isn't going to decide it wants to create a new project or start a business unless it's part of a goal it's been given.

Once it reaches that stage it's got the drive, the ambition and the know how to do everything end to end. That's when you'll see mass layoffs.

-- the ramblings of an Old

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this is why from my perspective, AI is really short for Artificial Indians

Boomers are not pining for anything like that. Most are concerned, understand reality and are trying to guide young people the best they can.

I am '99, and I studied electrical engineering. I've been involved in the AI/ML market for a little more than 15 years.

It's a tool. That's all. When Verilog redefined VLSI design, it was the same sort of thing. For a few people, it was also the end of their world.

Large numbers of people are newly freaked out, today, for one simple reason. Math has caught them. 15 years ago, when the AI/ML applications were restricted (by available compute capacity) to solving problems that were cleanly expressed in mathematical nomenclature (and therefore incomprehensible to laymen), nobody cared. Now that there is enough compute power to work with messy reality of natural language datasets, people are frightened by the fact that the math is touching the realm that they thought had made them special.

People are freaked out because they are confronted by the probabilistic semi-determinism of what they had previously considered to be their very special uniqueness. It happens every time.

DannyDuberstein said:

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JB99 said:

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I work for a fortune 20. They did a mass layoff in the fall. AI was the explanation among others. The problem was they hadn't actually figured how AI was going to make up for the lost workers. They just basically gave us a smattering of off the shelf tools, fired a bunch of people, and said figure it out. Which we still are doing. And then they limit us on the tools, the integrations, the token budgets. It's really stupid. They gave out claude code keys like candy for a few months with no instructions. I'd say 90% of the people had no clue how to use it. Then when people started using it they put draconian token budgets in place. Literally no strategy. It's dumb

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And to my peer's point, they were going to fire those people anyway. They weren't actually fired because of AI.

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I understand it. I know how to use it. My complaint is not that they laid off the people, it's that they had no plan to actually get AI tools out there and adopted. And I mean the right tools not consumer grade gemini chat dog *****