Around half of companies that reduced customer service headcount citing artificial intelligence (AI) will rehire staff into similar roles by 2027, according to a new forecast from Gartner. The research firm said many organisations are likely to recalibrate workforce strategies as they confront the practical limits of automation.
For enterprise technology leaders across Asia Pacific, the prediction reinforces questions about whether AI-driven labour savings are materialising at scale. As previously reported, many organisations in the region have yet to realise clear wage cost reductions from artificial intelligence deployments, with spending instead shifting toward integration, tooling and workforce adaptation. Gartner’s forecast suggests some early workforce cuts may now be reversed as service quality and operational complexity come into sharper focus.
In its press release, Gartner said that “by 2027, 50 percent of companies that attributed headcount reduction to AI will rehire staff to perform similar functions, but under different job titles.”
Kathy Ross, Senior Director Analyst in the Gartner Customer Service & Support practice, said: “While AI-driven layoffs have captured attention, the reality is more complex. Most recent workforce reductions were influenced by broader economic conditions rather than automation alone. As organizations encounter the limits of AI and rising customer expectations, they will need to reinvest in human talent to sustain service quality and growth.”
Emily Potosky, Senior Director, Research in the same practice, added: “AI simply isn’t mature enough to fully replace the expertise, empathy, and judgment that human agents provide. Relying solely on AI right now is premature and could lead to unintended consequences.”
The forecast follows Gartner’s October 2025 survey of 321 customer service and support leaders. Only about 20 percent reported reducing agent headcount due to AI, while the majority said staffing levels had remained stable even as automation tools helped manage higher support volumes.
The outlook reflects a wider industry shift toward hybrid service models that combine automation with human oversight, rather than fully “agentless” customer support strategies.