me_irl

the current AI slaughter

That's not A(rtificial) I(ntelligence). That's A(ctually) I(ndonesian).

Chevron just laid off its IT department and sent all the jobs to call centers in East Asia, and it is going exactly as bad as you might expect. My own company tried to eliminate its DBA office and send the work to a subcontractor of a subcontractor. It's now the worst performing department in the office.

This isn't a new policy. I've worked at half a dozen firms who have all tried to outsource their work to save a buck. And it saves maybe half a buck, then starts costing them their clients in droves.

5 Tara ago I had more calls than resumes sent, as recruiters picked up. Now? nothing

I don't know how long a Tara is, but that sounds pretty nice for you. I remember the '08 and '14 and '21 IT markets being particularly rough. But then the rebound had people getting vacuumed up out of middling back office positions with five figure signing bonuses and 50% salary adjustments.

The prediction of The End Of All The Jobs gets made on the eve of every downturn. Then we get a slew of "Nobody Wants To Work Anymore" apoplexy from the business community when they realize they cut into their own bones and can't function properly anymore.

If I lose my current job, I’ll basically have the option to become homeless or move to another country

Unemployment claims typically last 26-52 weeks by state. If you're that worried about making rent, might want to downgrade your unit now rather than waiting for the pink slip. But also, consider that the COVID layoff/rebound wave was measured in months and - thanks to the wave of Boomer retirements - resulted in a labor market tighter than when it began. Generally good for anyone looking for a raise or a bigger bonus.