Senator Hawley Pushes AI Layoff Tracking Bill as Experts Warn of 20% Unemployment Wave Coming
Sen. Josh Hawley intensifies push for AI-Related Job Impacts Clarity Act requiring companies to report AI-driven layoffs quarterly. With AI already causing 48,000 layoffs in 2025 and experts projecting 10-20% unemployment surge, bipartisan legislation aims to track automation's workforce devastation before it's too late.
Senator Josh Hawley is pushing hard for the AI-Related Job Impacts Clarity Act on December 8, 2025, requiring companies to report AI-driven layoffs quarterly to the Department of Labor. With AI already causing 48,000 layoffs this year and experts warning of 10-20% unemployment in the next five years, this bipartisan bill with Mark Warner aims to track the automation apocalypse before it's too late.
The Legislative Push Intensifies
As artificial intelligence continues to displace American workers at an unprecedented pace, Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) is making a renewed push for transparency legislation that would force companies to reveal just how many jobs they're cutting due to AI automation.
The AI-Related Job Impacts Clarity Act, co-sponsored with Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.), has been gaining momentum in the Senate Health, Labor, Education, and Pensions Committee. The bipartisan bill represents one of the first serious attempts by Congress to quantify the workforce disruption that many experts believe is just getting started.
What the Bill Actually Does
The legislation would require companies and federal agencies to report quarterly to the Department of Labor on several key metrics:
- • Number of workers laid off due to AI implementation
- • Number of new positions created as a result of AI adoption
- • Number of workers retrained or reassigned to different roles
- • Number of positions left unfilled because work was automated
The Department of Labor would then compile this data into public reports for Congress and the American people, providing the first comprehensive view of AI's impact on employment across all sectors.
The Corporate AI Layoff Reality
Major companies are already attributing significant layoffs to AI capabilities. Duolingo cut its contractor workforce, explicitly stating that AI could handle their content generation. Salesforce reduced its support staff, claiming AI chatbots could manage customer inquiries more efficiently. Payment processor Klarna famously announced that its AI assistant was doing the work of 700 customer service agents.
According to Challenger, Gray & Christmas job tracking data, AI was the second-most-cited factor for layoffs in 2025, responsible for approximately 48,000 job losses. This figure likely represents just the tip of the iceberg, as many companies avoid explicitly mentioning AI in their layoff announcements.
Why This Matters Now
The timing of Hawley's legislative push is critical. Washington University AI researcher Murray Jennex, speaking to STLPR, emphasized that we're approaching a tipping point where AI capabilities will accelerate job displacement across white-collar industries that previously felt secure from automation.
"Good policy starts with good data," Hawley stated, highlighting the fundamental problem with current AI workforce tracking: companies aren't required to disclose when they replace human workers with artificial intelligence, making it impossible to design effective policies to protect displaced workers or prepare for future automation waves.
The Bipartisan Reality Check
The fact that this legislation has bipartisan support with Democratic Senator Mark Warner indicates the severity of the AI workforce challenge. Both parties recognize that without comprehensive data collection, policymakers are flying blind as they attempt to address what could become the largest economic disruption since the Industrial Revolution.
The bill represents a rare instance of proactive governance in an era when technological change typically outpaces regulatory response. Whether it becomes law may determine if American workers get the protection and transparency they need as AI transforms the economy around them.