Tech companies around the world have cut more than 135,000 jobs so far in 2026, already more than in the whole of 2025, as AI layoffs and cost cutting spread across big firms. Layoffs.fyi, a website that tracks tech job cuts, counts 135,246 workers laid off at 332 tech companies this year, compared with 122,606 in all of last year.
The cuts reach well beyond tech. Delivery, banking, advertising and gaming companies have also announced large reductions.
The biggest cuts so far
Some of the largest announced reductions of 2026, and the reasons the companies or reports gave:
| Company | Jobs cut or planned |
|---|---|
| UPS | 30,000 |
| Oracle | About 21,000 (up to 30,000 reported) |
| Amazon | 16,000 corporate jobs |
| Omnicom | About 15,000 |
| Meta | About 8,000 (10% of staff) |
| Barclays | 5,000 |
| Microsoft | About 4,800 |
| Uber | 3,000+ (about 10%) |
Not all of these are completed layoffs. Some are plans spread over the year, and some will happen by not filling jobs when people leave.
UPS Chief Executive Brian Dykes told analysts the company’s 30,000 cuts would come through people leaving naturally and a voluntary exit scheme for drivers, Business Insider reported. Oracle’s figure comes from its own staff count, which fell from 162,000 to 141,000 in the year to May 31, 2026, InformationWeek reported, citing the BBC.
Not every cut is AI
Amazon’s 16,000 cuts were about removing layers and red tape, Amazon executive Beth Galetti wrote in a company post. Omnicom is chasing savings after losing a major client, and UPS is closing buildings.
Oracle and Meta are cutting staff while pouring money into AI, according to multiple reports. Barclays, the British bank, directly linked its 5,000 cuts, including software developer jobs, to AI, Business Insider reported.
The most detailed count comes from Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a US firm that tracks job cuts and the reasons companies give. Its latest report shows US employers cited AI in 120,136 job cuts from January to September 2026. That is about 21% of all cuts, making AI the top reason so far this year.
AI’s share is shrinking
The trend is shifting, though. AI led all reasons every month from March to July. In August it dropped to fourth place, and in September to fifth, with 3,961 cuts or about 9% of the month’s total, Challenger said.
Overall layoffs in the US are actually down. Employers announced 573,195 job cuts in the first nine months of 2026, 39% fewer than the same period last year.
Tech is the exception. US technology companies announced 165,925 cuts through September, up 54% from a year earlier, and tech now makes up 29% of all US job cuts.
The two trackers give different totals because they count differently. Layoffs.fyi covers tech companies worldwide, while Challenger counts announced cuts by US-based employers across all industries.
Tech is still hiring too
The picture is not all job losses. Challenger found technology companies have also announced plans to hire 22,361 workers this year, the second-highest of any industry after retail.
Andy Challenger, the firm’s chief revenue officer, described companies as being in a wait-and-see period. He pointed to high energy costs, the war involving Iran, and rising borrowing and healthcare costs as reasons employers are holding back.
