Engineering Jobs Prove Resilient Amid AI Fears, New Data Shows
Despite widespread layoffs attributed to AI, new hiring data indicates that engineering roles are not only surviving but thriving.
While artificial intelligence is often blamed for recent tech layoffs, a new analysis by venture firm SignalFire suggests that engineering jobs are more resilient than feared. Tracking careers across over 80 million companies, SignalFire found that engineering was the most resilient job function in 2025.
Overall hiring at large tech companies fell 25% compared to 2019 levels, but engineering roles saw only an 11% decline. Among the 12 "Tech Majors" — including Alphabet, Meta, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Netflix, Nvidia, Tesla, Uber, Airbnb, Block, and Stripe — engineers made up 55% of all new hires in 2025, up from 46% in 2019.
Early-stage startups also increased engineering hiring by 7% in 2025 versus 2019. Asher Bantock, SignalFire's head of research, argues that if AI were truly replacing engineers, their hiring would have dropped first. Instead, engineering headcount is growing faster than most other roles.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang outright rejects the idea that AI will replace engineers, noting that after adopting agentic AI, his engineers are busier than ever. Anthropic's economist Peter McCrory told TechCrunch in March that he hasn't seen significant AI-driven unemployment differences between AI-exposed and non-exposed workers.
The trend reflects the Jevons paradox: increased efficiency leads to greater demand. As Bantock puts it, engineers are now more productive and have endless work to do.
