The Talent Reset: How Layoffs, AI, and Upskilling Are Reshaping the Industry
Layoffs have become an unfortunate reality across the communications industry this past year, driven by a convergence of large-scale restructuring, economic pressure, and accelerating AI adoption. What’s emerging now isn’t just a downturn, it’s a reset.
And while the moment is painful, it’s also forcing a fundamental rethink of how talent works, grows, and stays relevant heading into 2026.
A “Perfect Storm” for Talent
The current disruption is coming from multiple directions at once. Large-scale consolidation and restructuring across global holding companies have led to overlapping teams and a reduction in traditional roles, while the broader hiring market remains steady but stagnant, with limited net-new headcount being created.
In particular, AI has begun to reshape the foundation of PR work. Tasks like drafting, research, monitoring, and first-pass content are increasingly automated. The impact is being felt at both ends of the market: entry-level roles are disappearing, while senior leaders face fewer, more narrowly defined opportunities.
The result? A highly competitive environment with more qualified talent than open seats.
What the Market Is (and Isn’t) Saying About 2026
There are mixed signals about what comes next.
Some observers believe the most significant AI-driven job reductions are still ahead, as organizations continue to operationalize new tools. Others see early signs of stabilization, with improved client activity projected in late 2025 and a potentially stronger first quarter in 2026.
What’s clear is this: the roles that come back won’t look like the roles that disappeared.
If You’ve Been Laid Off: What Matters Most Right Now
While every situation is personal, there is a broad consensus on a few immediate priorities:
1. Update and activate
Ensure resumes and LinkedIn profiles are current, clear, and outcome-focused. Let trusted contacts know you’re open to conversations; most next roles still come through relationships, not job boards.
2. Treat the search like a job
Structure matters. Set goals, create a routine, and protect your mental health. Without boundaries, job-searching can quickly become overwhelming and counterproductive.
3. Upskill - especially in AI
AI fluency is no longer optional. Professionals who can speak credibly about using AI in research, content development, workflow optimization, or client counsel are materially more competitive.
This doesn’t require becoming technical, but it does require understanding how AI changes decision-making, speed, and value creation.
4. Reframe how you work
One of the biggest shifts happening now is how work is packaged.
Full-time roles still exist, but an increasing number of opportunities are emerging in more flexible formats, including fractional leadership roles, project-based consulting, boutique or specialist agency positions, and interim or advisory engagements.
For many senior professionals, this may require adjusting expectations — not around impact or compensation, but around structure.
A Mindset Shift for the Next Era of PR
It’s easy to internalize a layoff as a personal failure. In reality, large-scale restructuring is rarely about performance. It’s about economics, overlap, and change at a scale no individual can control.
The most resilient professionals moving into 2026 tend to share a common mindset. They invest in continuous learning, stay closely connected to their networks, remain flexible about how and where they work, and understand that influence and impact are no longer tied to a single employer.
The PR industry isn’t disappearing. But it is evolving quickly.
For those willing to adapt, upskill, and rethink traditional career paths, this moment can become a turning point rather than a dead end.
Mouth Off With Monday is just the start of the conversation. For more insights, talent trends, and behind-the-scenes of the industries we work in, connect with us!
