JERSEY CITY, N.J. — January 28, 2026 — Leads & Copy — Jersey Hired, a New Jersey-based job board and talent platform, is calling for a national conversation about the role of artificial intelligence in the modern workforce following Amazon’s announcement of an additional 16,000 job cuts globally.
According to the company, the cuts are intended to “streamline operations” and pivot toward AI-driven infrastructure. The company stated the latest round of cuts brings Amazon’s total layoffs to 30,000 in just four months.
Richard Eib, Group Managing Director of Local Talent Group, Jersey Hired’s parent company, issued a statement regarding the layoffs and their implications for New Jersey’s workforce, stating, “We are witnessing a seismic shift in the world of work, and frankly, it’s a reckoning we aren’t prepared for.” He added that AI has the potential to innovate, but is currently being used for mass displacement, and that without transparent conversation about the ethics of AI integration, the U.S. faces a future of mass unemployment.
Eib stated that Amazon spent years destroying the local Main Street shops and decimating local retail and crushing small businesses. Now, he said, Amazon is disposing of the people who built their empire in favor of servers and code.
Jersey Hired says it remains committed to supporting New Jersey’s talent by connecting workers with local opportunities, but warns that without legislative oversight and a social contract regarding AI, the local economic fabric of the state remains at risk.
The company is urging policymakers, business leaders, and labor advocates to join in a summit to discuss “The Human Cost of Automation.”
Jersey Hired is a recruitment marketing and talent acquisition platform dedicated to the New Jersey business community and a subsidiary of Local Talent Group. It provides a suite of solutions, including premium job postings, contingent search, contract and temporary staffing and the Shortlist On-Demand service.
Source: Jersey Hired
