JOBS | More than 45,000 laid off since the beginning of 2026
The wave of redundancies follows several years of post-pandemic correction, during which nearly a million tech jobs were eliminated globally.
TechSabado file photo
Just over three months into 2026, the global technology sector is already showing signs that workforce reductions are not slowing down. Roughly 45,363 tech employees have been laid off worldwide since January, placing the industry on a trajectory that could easily surpass last year’s totals if the current pace continues.
The figures come from a report released March 9, 2026, by RationalFX, a London-based foreign exchange and financial research platform that analyzes global economic and industry trends.
The wave of redundancies follows several years of post-pandemic correction, during which nearly a million tech jobs were eliminated globally. What began as a pullback from pandemic-era overexpansion has evolved into a structural shift in how technology companies operate. In 2025, automation, artificial intelligence integration, and sustained cost-discipline measures drove much of the downsizing, with entire departments restructured or eliminated in favor of leaner, AI-assisted workflows.
This trend has continued in full swing into 2026. To better understand it, the team at RationalFX investigated the wave of layoffs in the technology sector, analyzing the number of job cuts that have occurred throughout 2026. Based on figures from several sources, including TrueUp, TechCrunch, and multiple state WARN databases, the report identified the companies with the most significant workforce reductions since the start of the year.
Since the start of the year, tech companies have announced 45,363 job cuts worldwide, with 30,846, roughly 68% of the global total, occurring in the United States. These reductions span 43 U.S.-based companies, with the largest cuts coming from e-commerce and technology giant Amazon, Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, and fintech and payments provider Block.
Australia has seen 2,650 layoffs so far in 2026, stemming from just two companies: Sydney-based WiseTech Global, which cut 2,000 jobs, and Melbourne telecommunications firm Telstra, with 650 roles affected since the start of the year. While the overall scale of layoffs in Australia does not match that of the United States, the concentration of cuts within a small number of major firms highlights a significant regional impact.
Europe accounts for a smaller but significant share of layoffs, with Sweden (1,923), the Netherlands (1,700), the UK (1,000), the Czech Republic (250), and Germany (200) among the most affected countries. The region’s layoffs are concentrated in telecom, semiconductor, and gaming sectors, reflecting structural shifts in traditional European tech hubs.
Asia has seen 4,595 layoffs across several countries, with the largest numbers coming from Israel (1,539), India (1,520), and Singapore (1,016). The cuts span AI startups, e-commerce platforms, cybersecurity firms, and electric mobility companies. Notably, AI- and automation-related layoffs make up a significant portion of the region’s cuts, particularly in Israel and Singapore, highlighting the structural transformation in tech workflows.
After cutting nearly 20,000 roles in 2025, the second-largest total among tech companies that year, the e-commerce and cloud computing giant Amazon has announced a further 16,000 job reductions in 2026, one of the largest single workforce cuts in its history, following 14,000 redundancies in October 2025. Company management cited efforts to streamline reporting, accelerate decisions, and boost efficiency.
Yet these cuts come amid record revenues of $716.9 billion in 2025, up 12% year on year, with continued growth in its Amazon Web Services cloud division. The company is also expanding investments in artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructure, including a projected $200 billion in capital expenditure for 2026.
Financial technology company Block Inc. has announced plans to cut 4,000 jobs in 2026, representing a substantial portion of its workforce as part of a sweeping restructuring effort. Led by co-founder Jack Dorsey, the company said the reductions are intended to flatten management structures, eliminate overlapping roles, and improve operational efficiency.
The move follows earlier workforce reductions in recent years, underscoring Block’s continued efforts to control costs while investing in new areas such as Bitcoin-related products and internal artificial intelligence tools.
Semiconductor and sensor manufacturer ams OSRAM also plans to cut around 2,000 jobs as part of a broader restructuring program aimed at improving profitability and streamlining operations. The Austria-based group has been under pressure to reduce costs following weaker demand in some segments of the semiconductor market.
Australia’s largest technology layoffs come from logistics software developer WiseTech Global, which has confirmed 2,000 layoffs as part of a major restructuring. The Sydney-based company said the reductions are intended to simplify its organizational structure and sharpen its focus on core logistics software products as it continues expanding internationally.
Sweden-based telecommunications equipment maker Ericsson has moved forward with a significant workforce reduction in early 2026, announcing plans to cut approximately 1,900 jobs. The bulk of these stem from a proposed reduction of around 1,600 positions in its home market as part of broader cost-efficiency measures. The company said it had begun formal consultations with Swedish trade unions and notified the Swedish Public Employment Service.
Dutch semiconductor parts maker ASML announced plans to cut around 1,700 jobs in early 2026, even as it reported strong demand for advanced chipmaking systems and record sales and profits in 2025. The reductions, roughly 4% of its global workforce, are focused primarily on management, technology, and IT roles in the Netherlands and, to a lesser extent, the United States.
Social media and technology giant Meta cut approximately 1,500 jobs in early 2026, affecting 10% of its Reality Labs division, the unit tasked with building virtual reality headsets, Horizon Worlds, and other metaverse-related projects. The cuts come as the company shifts investment toward artificial intelligence after years of heavy losses tied to its metaverse initiatives.
Artificial intelligence and automation are increasingly cited as factors behind workforce reductions across the technology sector. In total, 9,238 layoffs in 2026 so far have been linked directly to AI adoption, automation, or organizational restructuring tied to these technologies.
Many companies implementing layoffs have framed the cuts as part of broader shifts toward AI-assisted operations, where fewer employees are required to manage increasingly automated workflows.
The largest AI-related workforce reduction so far this year comes from financial technology company Block, which has eliminated 4,000 roles as part of a restructuring effort aimed at expanding internal AI tools. Logistics software firm WiseTech Global follows with 2,000 layoffs after announcing a restructuring aimed at increasing automation across its logistics platforms.
E-commerce platform eBay has also cut 800 roles, with leadership emphasizing greater efficiency through automation and AI-driven product development. Social media platform Pinterest announced 675 layoffs while continuing to invest in AI-powered advertising and content discovery tools.
Several other companies have carried out smaller reductions tied to similar transitions. Singapore-based home design platform Livspace has cut 1,000 positions as it shifts toward more automated design and operations systems, while enterprise software giant Oracle has reduced 254 roles amid efforts to integrate AI across its cloud infrastructure and database services.
In 2026, several U.S. cities stand out as the headquarters of the largest contributors to global tech layoffs. Seattle, home to technology giants Amazon and Microsoft, tops the list with 16,590 employees affected worldwide, followed by San Francisco with 9,395 layoffs and Menlo Park, home to Meta Platforms, with 1,500 reductions.
Outside the United States, Sydney ranks among the cities most affected by tech layoffs after WiseTech Global eliminated 2,000 positions as part of its restructuring program.
Across Europe, Stockholm accounts for 1,900 layoffs linked to Ericsson’s restructuring, while Veldhoven in the Netherlands has seen 1,700 roles cut following ASML’s workforce reduction. The Austrian town of Premstätten has also been affected after semiconductor manufacturer ams OSRAM announced plans to cut 2,000 jobs.
The tech sector continues to navigate the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected more than a million tech employees around the world since 2021. The first months of 2026 have already seen a surge in layoffs, and based on current trends, total reductions could reach 264,730 by year’s end, surpassing the 245,000 layoffs recorded in 2025.
A key driver behind many of these reductions remains the growing integration of artificial intelligence and automation. Companies are increasingly restructuring teams and workflows around AI-assisted systems, often reducing headcount in areas where tasks can be automated or handled more efficiently with new tools.
At the same time, employers are placing greater emphasis on AI-related expertise when hiring or evaluating staff. Many companies have attempted to soften the impact of layoffs through reskilling programs and internal redeployment, but executives across the industry have increasingly questioned whether these approaches can keep pace with the speed of technological change.
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