AI not to blame for recent wave of layoffs
In the media image: Igor Omilaev on Unsplash
Dutch companies are cutting jobs at a rapid pace amid reorganisations. Olaf van Vliet, Professor of Economics, spoke with NU.nl about the causes of this wave of layoffs: 'Other factors besides AI seems to be at play.'
A wave of reorganisations is currently sweeping through the Dutch business sector. In view of rising costs, economic uncertainty, the rise of AI, coupled with disappointing revenues, many companies are choosing to cut jobs. Large companies such as ING, ABN AMRO, Heineken and ASML have announced reorganisations in which thousands of employees will lose their jobs.
According to Olaf van Vliet, these measures are mainly aimed at reducing costs and are not primarily driven by AI. 'In the recently announced reorganisations, other factors besides AI also seem to play a role,' he said. 'Take ASML and Heineken, for example. Based on statements from these companies, ASML seems to be changing certain management layers, while at Heineken the decline in beer consumption is a factor. So it doesn't look like employees have lost their jobs because their work is being replaced by AI.'
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Read the full article on NU.nl (in Dutch)