January layoffs were the biggest for the start of a year since 2009, during the Great Recession, the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported.

据就业顾问公司 Challenger, Gray & Christmas 的报告显示，今年 1 月的裁员规模创下了自 2009 年大衰退以来的新高。

Much of the chatter around recent layoffs centers on fears that this is just the start of AI decimating white-collar jobs.

近期，许多关于裁员的讨论都围绕着一种担忧，担心这是人工智能大量消灭白领工作岗位的开端。

But job cuts often don't have as much to do with AI as with pragmatic decisions to reduce costs. That's particularly true for firms that grew rapidly during the pandemic, only to see demand soften subsequently. AI is just a convenient scapegoat.

但实际上，裁员往往与人工智能关系不大，更多是企业出于削减成本的现实考量。对于那些在疫情期间迅速扩张，而后又面临需求疲软的公司来说，尤其如此。人工智能不过是一个方便的替罪羊。

For years, some firms have been trying to thin layers of both middle management and rank-and-file workers to create smaller, more nimble teams. In some industries, like tech, where many companies bulked up during a pandemic-era boom, layoffs can also bring payroll back in line with demand.

多年来，一些公司一直试图削减中层管理和基层员工，以打造更精悍、更敏捷的团队。而在科技等行业，许多公司在疫情期间的繁荣中大举扩张，如今的裁员则能使其薪酬支出与需求重新匹配。

While cuts are unpleasant for all but the most hard-nosed CEOs — and, of course, the affected workers — they're often a hit with investors.

虽然除了最铁石心肠的 CEO 之外，裁员对所有人来说都是不愉快的——当然，对受影响的员工更是如此——但裁员往往很受投资者欢迎。

From Meta to Spotify, Wall Street has rewarded companies that trim staff and cut costs in recent years. When markets applaud job cuts, and compensation is tied to a company's stock performance, that incentive structure can make such decisions easier than they might otherwise be.

从 Meta 到 Spotify，近年来，华尔街一直奖励那些裁员和削减成本的公司。当市场对裁员喝彩时，而薪酬又与公司股票表现挂钩时，这种激励机制无疑会使裁员的决定比原本更容易做出。

In general, Tim Walsh, CEO of KPMG US, doesn't see AI behind many corporate cutbacks. Instead, he said KPMG will likely need to hire more people as it continues to develop and incorporate AI tools into its business.

总体而言，毕马威美国公司（KPMG US）首席执行官蒂姆·沃尔什（Tim Walsh）表示，企业裁员的背后并没有太多人工智能方面的原因。他反而表示，随着公司不断开发并将人工智能工具融入其业务，毕马威未来可能需要招聘更多的人才。

Understandably, AI anxiety remains pervasive, however. A lot of people have been just waiting for the AI shoe to drop. Yet because it often takes companies a while to adopt new technology, not all of the reductions are likely to show up right away.

然而，可以理解的是，人们对人工智能的焦虑情绪依旧普遍。许多人都在等待着人工智能这只靴子落地。不过，由于企业应用新技术往往需要时间，因此并非所有因人工智能而产生的岗位削减都会立刻发生。