A new dashboard will track which sectors AI is hitting hardest
California wants to get ahead of AI's hit to jobs – and HR teams have new signals to track.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Executive Order N-6-26 on May 21, 2026, directing state agencies to study how artificial intelligence is reshaping California's workforce and to recommend fixes. It took effect the day he signed it.
For HR leaders, the item to watch first is the WARN Act, California's law on advance notice for mass layoffs. The order gives the Labor and Workforce Development Agency 180 days to review that law and recommend updates so it flags job losses earlier, in step with emerging industry trends. If California revises WARN, the rules around layoff notices could shift – and that work falls to HR.
The order also turns to what happens after the layoff. It asks the agency to review severance and other compensation, including stock or equity, and to study alternatives to cutting jobs. California already runs a Work Sharing program that offers an alternative to layoffs, but the order says programs like it are underused. A push to change that looks likely.
Hiring sits in the frame too. The order points to California Civil Rights Department rules that bar discrimination in employment through Automated Decision Systems – AI tools that employers increasingly use in workplace decisions. It also cites privacy rules on automated decision-making technology. For any HR team leaning on AI, the message is that the compliance...
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