[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":374},["ShallowReactive",2],{"header":3,"footer":26,"footer-cities":54,"content-\u002Fnews\u002Fasked-back-after-an-ai-layoff-experts-say-push-for-more-pay-and-a-contract":235},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"description":10,"extension":13,"links":14,"meta":20,"navigation":21,"path":22,"seo":23,"stem":24,"__hash__":25},"header\u002Fheader.md","Central Valley AI",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":9},"minimark",[],{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":12},"",2,[],"md",[15],{"label":16,"to":17,"icon":19},"News",{"path":18},"\u002Fnews\u002F","mdi-newspaper-variant-outline",{},true,"\u002Fheader",{"title":5,"description":10},"header","ceT4J-WxxOBdbhRC-UD3fo0Npu7vWt2o2B9b_LURPmE",{"id":27,"title":28,"body":29,"copyright":33,"description":10,"developedBy":34,"extension":13,"links":41,"meta":49,"navigation":21,"path":50,"seo":51,"stem":52,"__hash__":53},"footer\u002Ffooter.md","Footer",{"type":7,"value":30,"toc":31},[],{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":32},[],"© {year} All rights reserved.",{"label":35,"link":36},"Developed by",{"label":37,"to":38,"target":39,"logo":40},"Kaweah Tech","https:\u002F\u002Fkaweah.tech","_blank","https:\u002F\u002Fassets.kaweah.tech\u002Flogo-black-on-transparent-tight.svg",[42,43,46],{"label":16,"to":18},{"label":44,"to":45},"About","\u002Fabout\u002F",{"label":47,"to":48},"Privacy Policy","\u002Fprivacy-policy\u002F",{},"\u002Ffooter",{"description":10},"footer","Ras2AGS8Wuda4aBPrbAbOivaxIsAoDbo9SNCA0w554g",[55,85,123,154,181,208],{"id":56,"title":57,"body":58,"county":77,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":78,"meta":79,"navigation":21,"path":80,"seo":81,"stem":82,"tag":83,"__hash__":84},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fbakersfield.md","Bakersfield",{"type":7,"value":59,"toc":74},[60,65],[61,62,64],"h2",{"id":63},"ai-in-bakersfield","AI in Bakersfield",[66,67,68,69,73],"p",{},"Bakersfield's AI conversation sits at the intersection of municipal government, the ",[70,71,72],"strong",{},"California State University Bakersfield"," community, and the energy and ag operators that drive Kern County's economy. The city was an early mover on AI-assisted permitting and has been a recurring backdrop for parent- and teacher-led debates about classroom AI use. Articles below follow specific Bakersfield initiatives, public-meeting decisions, and Kern County workforce stories — and how they reflect national AI trends from a regional vantage point.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":75},[76],{"id":63,"depth":11,"text":64},"Kern County","Bakersfield and the surrounding Kern County are home to some of the most concrete AI-in-government experiments in the Central Valley, from instant municipal permitting to school-district debates about classroom AI. Coverage on this page tracks how AI is reshaping public services, education, and the energy and agriculture economies that dominate the region.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fbakersfield",{"title":57,"description":10},"cities\u002Fbakersfield","bakersfield","ozFL4HvDA_g7UrRE1mHbKqcS-vDLwbiH9JWVh3rB2Ac",{"id":86,"title":87,"body":88,"county":115,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":116,"meta":117,"navigation":21,"path":118,"seo":119,"stem":120,"tag":121,"__hash__":122},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Ffresno.md","Fresno",{"type":7,"value":89,"toc":112},[90,94,109],[61,91,93],{"id":92},"ai-in-fresno","AI in Fresno",[66,95,96,97,100,101,104,105,108],{},"Fresno's AI story spans several distinct ecosystems. ",[70,98,99],{},"Fresno State"," and the ",[70,102,103],{},"California State University"," system anchor a workforce-readiness push, while local ",[70,106,107],{},"Fresno Unified School District"," debates around responsible use have made the city a recurring reference point in California's K-12 AI conversation. The city's economic base in agriculture, healthcare, and public services means most AI adoption stories here are about applied uses rather than model development — a different posture than coastal tech hubs but arguably more consequential for the people living here.",[66,110,111],{},"Use the articles below to follow how AI is showing up in Fresno-area institutions and businesses.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":113},[114],{"id":92,"depth":11,"text":93},"Fresno County","Fresno is the largest city in California's Central Valley and the regional center for AI adoption across agriculture, healthcare, higher education, and small business. Coverage on this page tracks how AI is being applied — and contested — in and around the city of Fresno and Fresno County.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Ffresno",{"title":87,"description":10},"cities\u002Ffresno","fresno","gOL2xk8y9t9OV6PPxP02OjYhZFHC_Cg-VGijh_V93dI",{"id":124,"title":125,"body":126,"county":146,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":147,"meta":148,"navigation":21,"path":149,"seo":150,"stem":151,"tag":152,"__hash__":153},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fmerced.md","Merced",{"type":7,"value":127,"toc":143},[128,132],[61,129,131],{"id":130},"ai-in-merced","AI in Merced",[66,133,134,135,138,139,142],{},"Merced is a research-heavy node in the Central Valley AI ecosystem. ",[70,136,137],{},"UC Merced"," faculty appear in national conversations about AI safety, autonomous vehicles, climate modeling, and pediatric health applications, while the ",[70,140,141],{},"Merced Unified School District"," and surrounding county institutions navigate the same K-12 and workforce questions the rest of the Valley faces. The articles below cover both the campus research story and the broader applied uses around the city and county.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":144},[145],{"id":130,"depth":11,"text":131},"Merced County","Merced punches above its weight in AI research, anchored by UC Merced — a leading West Coast hub for AI in agriculture, climate, autonomous systems, and health. Coverage on this page tracks both academic research coming out of the campus and how AI is showing up across Merced's schools, businesses, and county institutions.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fmerced",{"title":125,"description":10},"cities\u002Fmerced","merced","pSWWlEzMdcv2_RZrUKdkEHU3bixNboePGdHbSdd1m34",{"id":155,"title":156,"body":157,"county":173,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":174,"meta":175,"navigation":21,"path":176,"seo":177,"stem":178,"tag":179,"__hash__":180},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fmodesto.md","Modesto",{"type":7,"value":158,"toc":170},[159,163],[61,160,162],{"id":161},"ai-in-modesto","AI in Modesto",[66,164,165,166,169],{},"Modesto's AI conversation tends to combine ag-tech adoption stories with workforce-readiness questions for the city's small and mid-sized employers. ",[70,167,168],{},"CSU Stanislaus"," and the regional community college network shape the higher-ed angle. Coverage below follows Modesto-area AI announcements and the wider Stanislaus County context.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":171},[172],{"id":161,"depth":11,"text":162},"Stanislaus County","Modesto and Stanislaus County sit between the Bay Area and the southern Valley, and their AI story reflects that bridging role — from agriculture and food processing to the **California State University Stanislaus** community to small businesses adapting to AI-driven changes in marketing, hiring, and operations.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fmodesto",{"title":156,"description":10},"cities\u002Fmodesto","modesto","l75Dc40MX8wTb4lD088Yx9we4ypuDwmcvE-uEdqqREc",{"id":182,"title":183,"body":184,"county":200,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":201,"meta":202,"navigation":21,"path":203,"seo":204,"stem":205,"tag":206,"__hash__":207},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fstockton.md","Stockton",{"type":7,"value":185,"toc":197},[186,190],[61,187,189],{"id":188},"ai-in-stockton","AI in Stockton",[66,191,192,193,196],{},"Stockton's economic base in logistics, healthcare, and higher education gives the city a different AI profile than the southern Valley. ",[70,194,195],{},"University of the Pacific"," anchors the academic conversation, while San Joaquin County government, hospitals, and warehouse operators are navigating practical adoption questions: cost, training, security, workforce impact. The articles below track Stockton-area AI announcements and the broader San Joaquin County context.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":198},[199],{"id":188,"depth":11,"text":189},"San Joaquin County","Stockton and San Joaquin County sit at the northern edge of the Central Valley, where logistics, healthcare, and the University of the Pacific shape the local AI adoption story. Coverage on this page follows how AI is being put to work — and questioned — across San Joaquin County's institutions, employers, and public services.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fstockton",{"title":183,"description":10},"cities\u002Fstockton","stockton","TYEBK9akp2HbpAFmYY67FeKt7Rs7L8tvtYeQBtgJAHw",{"id":209,"title":210,"body":211,"county":227,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":228,"meta":229,"navigation":21,"path":230,"seo":231,"stem":232,"tag":233,"__hash__":234},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fvisalia.md","Visalia",{"type":7,"value":212,"toc":224},[213,217],[61,214,216],{"id":215},"ai-in-visalia","AI in Visalia",[66,218,219,220,223],{},"Visalia's AI footprint is grounded in the practical adoption stories that come with a Tulare County economy built around agriculture, food processing, and rural healthcare. ",[70,221,222],{},"College of the Sequoias"," and the surrounding K-12 districts anchor the education conversation. The articles below cover Visalia-area AI developments and the Tulare County context, with a focus on applied uses rather than research or model development.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":225},[226],{"id":215,"depth":11,"text":216},"Tulare County","Visalia is the largest city in Tulare County and a center for agriculture, healthcare, and county-government services in the southern Central Valley. Coverage on this page tracks how AI is being adopted across Tulare County's schools, hospitals, ag operations, and small business community.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fvisalia",{"title":210,"description":10},"cities\u002Fvisalia","visalia","gN4g7aAl-cqD4FfSTgtTAarltUoKLh8NFlPzCbZngqU",{"id":236,"title":237,"archived":238,"author":239,"body":240,"date":361,"dateModified":361,"description":362,"extension":13,"meta":363,"navigation":21,"path":364,"rawbody":365,"seo":366,"sitemap":367,"stem":368,"tags":369,"__hash__":373},"news\u002Fnews\u002Fasked-back-after-an-ai-layoff-experts-say-push-for-more-pay-and-a-contract.md","Asked back after an AI layoff? Experts say push for more pay and a contract",false,"CVAI Newsdesk",{"type":7,"value":241,"toc":354},[242,246,250,266,269,272,275,279,282,285,288,291,294,298,301,304,308,311,314,317,320,323,326,341,344,348],[243,244,237],"h1",{"id":245},"asked-back-after-an-ai-layoff-experts-say-push-for-more-pay-and-a-contract",[61,247,249],{"id":248},"key-takeaways","Key Takeaways",[251,252,253,257,260,263],"ol",{},[254,255,256],"li",{},"Ford said in June it hired or promoted 350 veteran engineers after AI quality-control tools didn't perform as expected.",[254,258,259],{},"Robert Half reported that hiring managers in finance, marketing, law and health cut jobs for AI, then hired for them again.",[254,261,262],{},"A Georgetown management professor advises returning workers to seek a one-year renewable contract with a buyout clause.",[254,264,265],{},"Microsoft, Barclays Bank and Kroger are among the companies that announced AI-related job cuts this year.",[66,267,268],{},"Ford's AI tools fell short.",[66,270,271],{},"In June, the automaker said it had hired or promoted 350 veteran engineers after the AI tools it put on quality control work didn't perform at the level it expected, The Associated Press reported. For Central Valley workers, the jobs turning up in these reversals are familiar ones: customer service, bookkeeping, data processing, finance and health, the kind of work done in offices from Stockton to Bakersfield, which means the advice experts are giving applies here too.",[66,273,274],{},"It happens often enough now to have a nickname: the \"AI boomerang.\"",[61,276,278],{"id":277},"whos-getting-rehired-and-why","Who's getting rehired, and why",[66,280,281],{},"Hiring managers in finance, marketing, law and health reported earlier this year that their companies had eliminated positions mainly because of AI or automation, only to hire again for the same or similar roles, according to recruitment and staffing firm Robert Half. The most common reasons were that the technology needed more human oversight than expected and couldn't replicate institutional knowledge, the firm said.",[66,283,284],{},"\"When you need critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, institutional knowledge, those are things that AI just can't replicate,\" said Bill Driscoll, a senior district president at Robert Half.",[66,286,287],{},"Klarna started recruiting human customer service representatives again last year. CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski of the Swedish buy now, pay later company acknowledged to Bloomberg News that its reliance on an AI chatbot to cut costs had gone too far.",[66,289,290],{},"It isn't clear how common this is.",[66,292,293],{},"Companies don't always announce the U-turn, said Lucy Beaumont, a global senior vice president at SHL, a U.K.-based company that builds employment tests and tools. \"Maybe their shareholders love that they did this right-sizing motion ... and then they have to turn around and quietly, with their tail between their legs, admit that they weren't ready for that or they shouldn't have done that,\" she said.",[61,295,297],{"id":296},"what-it-means-in-the-valley","What it means in the Valley",[66,299,300],{},"So far the boomerang is a national story. Microsoft, Barclays Bank and supermarket chain Kroger are among the companies that announced AI-related cuts this year, according to the AP. The advice holds for a bookkeeper in Visalia, too.",[66,302,303],{},"Part of the problem is work nobody wrote down. Betsy Summers, a principal analyst at the research firm Forrester, said companies that hand tasks to AI often miss what employees do outside their job descriptions, like reading the mood in a room or calling a quick meeting. Company procedures for tasks like bookkeeping and data processing often aren't documented well either, said Brooks Holtom, a management professor at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business.",[61,305,307],{"id":306},"what-to-ask-for-before-saying-yes","What to ask for before saying yes",[66,309,310],{},"Plenty of people don't want to go back at all, Beaumont said.",[66,312,313],{},"\"To come back to a business where you've been let go, replaced by AI, to be asked back to that business, your trust is gone, your psychological safety there, your relationship with the employer, and that's very, very difficult to build back,\" she said.",[66,315,316],{},"The ones who do consider it are asking for more money. They also want to know how AI might affect staffing down the road, Beaumont said, and extra training and a clear path to promotion can be part of the conversation.",[66,318,319],{},"Holtom suggested pitching a new job description that pairs the technology with your own expertise. That could mean a higher-ranking job that pays more, he said. Before signing, he said, ask for a one-year renewable contract with a buyout clause in case the job is cut in less than a year.",[66,321,322],{},"Summers said workers shouldn't discount motivation and curiosity, the human traits that make people good at their jobs.",[66,324,325],{},"\"It's the manifestation of our search for meaning and purpose,\" she said. \"We want to contribute to our communities as human beings.\"",[66,327,328],{},[329,330,331,332,334,335,340],"em",{},"Central Valley AI is produced by the ",[70,333,239],{}," team and developed by ",[336,337,37],"a",{"href":38,"rel":338},[339],"nofollow",", a regional firm that builds, deploys, and integrates AI solutions for businesses across California's Central Valley.",[342,343],"hr",{},[61,345,347],{"id":346},"source","Source",[66,349,350],{},[336,351,352],{"href":352,"rel":353},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.yourcentralvalley.com\u002Fnews\u002Ftech-news\u002Fap-what-to-consider-if-a-company-that-made-ai-related-job-cuts-wants-you-back\u002F",[339],{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":355},[356,357,358,359,360],{"id":248,"depth":11,"text":249},{"id":277,"depth":11,"text":278},{"id":296,"depth":11,"text":297},{"id":306,"depth":11,"text":307},{"id":346,"depth":11,"text":347},"2026-11-02","Some companies that replaced workers with AI are hiring people back. Management experts say anyone who gets that call should ask about pay, training and job security first.",{},"\u002Fnews\u002Fasked-back-after-an-ai-layoff-experts-say-push-for-more-pay-and-a-contract","---\nauthor: CVAI Newsdesk\ndate: '2026-11-02'\ndateModified: '2026-11-02'\ndescription: Some companies that replaced workers with AI are hiring people back.\n  Management experts say anyone who gets that call should ask about pay, training\n  and job security first.\ntags:\n- jobs\n- business\n- labor\ntitle: Asked back after an AI layoff? Experts say push for more pay and a contract\n---\n\n# Asked back after an AI layoff? Experts say push for more pay and a contract\n\n## Key Takeaways\n\n1. Ford said in June it hired or promoted 350 veteran engineers after AI quality-control tools didn't perform as expected.\n2. Robert Half reported that hiring managers in finance, marketing, law and health cut jobs for AI, then hired for them again.\n3. A Georgetown management professor advises returning workers to seek a one-year renewable contract with a buyout clause.\n4. Microsoft, Barclays Bank and Kroger are among the companies that announced AI-related job cuts this year.\n\nFord's AI tools fell short.\n\nIn June, the automaker said it had hired or promoted 350 veteran engineers after the AI tools it put on quality control work didn't perform at the level it expected, The Associated Press reported. For Central Valley workers, the jobs turning up in these reversals are familiar ones: customer service, bookkeeping, data processing, finance and health, the kind of work done in offices from Stockton to Bakersfield, which means the advice experts are giving applies here too.\n\nIt happens often enough now to have a nickname: the \"AI boomerang.\"\n\n## Who's getting rehired, and why\n\nHiring managers in finance, marketing, law and health reported earlier this year that their companies had eliminated positions mainly because of AI or automation, only to hire again for the same or similar roles, according to recruitment and staffing firm Robert Half. The most common reasons were that the technology needed more human oversight than expected and couldn't replicate institutional knowledge, the firm said.\n\n\"When you need critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, institutional knowledge, those are things that AI just can't replicate,\" said Bill Driscoll, a senior district president at Robert Half.\n\nKlarna started recruiting human customer service representatives again last year. CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski of the Swedish buy now, pay later company acknowledged to Bloomberg News that its reliance on an AI chatbot to cut costs had gone too far.\n\nIt isn't clear how common this is.\n\nCompanies don't always announce the U-turn, said Lucy Beaumont, a global senior vice president at SHL, a U.K.-based company that builds employment tests and tools. \"Maybe their shareholders love that they did this right-sizing motion ... and then they have to turn around and quietly, with their tail between their legs, admit that they weren't ready for that or they shouldn't have done that,\" she said.\n\n## What it means in the Valley\n\nSo far the boomerang is a national story. Microsoft, Barclays Bank and supermarket chain Kroger are among the companies that announced AI-related cuts this year, according to the AP. The advice holds for a bookkeeper in Visalia, too.\n\nPart of the problem is work nobody wrote down. Betsy Summers, a principal analyst at the research firm Forrester, said companies that hand tasks to AI often miss what employees do outside their job descriptions, like reading the mood in a room or calling a quick meeting. Company procedures for tasks like bookkeeping and data processing often aren't documented well either, said Brooks Holtom, a management professor at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business.\n\n## What to ask for before saying yes\n\nPlenty of people don't want to go back at all, Beaumont said.\n\n\"To come back to a business where you've been let go, replaced by AI, to be asked back to that business, your trust is gone, your psychological safety there, your relationship with the employer, and that's very, very difficult to build back,\" she said.\n\nThe ones who do consider it are asking for more money. They also want to know how AI might affect staffing down the road, Beaumont said, and extra training and a clear path to promotion can be part of the conversation.\n\nHoltom suggested pitching a new job description that pairs the technology with your own expertise. That could mean a higher-ranking job that pays more, he said. Before signing, he said, ask for a one-year renewable contract with a buyout clause in case the job is cut in less than a year.\n\nSummers said workers shouldn't discount motivation and curiosity, the human traits that make people good at their jobs.\n\n\"It's the manifestation of our search for meaning and purpose,\" she said. \"We want to contribute to our communities as human beings.\"\n\n*Central Valley AI is produced by the **CVAI Newsdesk** team and developed by [Kaweah Tech](https:\u002F\u002Fkaweah.tech), a regional firm that builds, deploys, and integrates AI solutions for businesses across California's Central Valley.*\n\n---\n\n## Source\n\nhttps:\u002F\u002Fwww.yourcentralvalley.com\u002Fnews\u002Ftech-news\u002Fap-what-to-consider-if-a-company-that-made-ai-related-job-cuts-wants-you-back\u002F\n",{"title":237,"description":362},{"loc":364},"news\u002Fasked-back-after-an-ai-layoff-experts-say-push-for-more-pay-and-a-contract",[370,371,372],"jobs","business","labor","LuminsXQePc0klTPwLWIOBwwWasnup0Zx-afocAMEhA",1793581998773]