Laid Off in 2026: More Tech Workers Than All of 2025, With Months to Go

Technology employers have already cut more jobs in 2026 than in the whole of last year, and on the current pace the annual total will land close to 210,000 by 31 December.

Layoffs.fyi, the tracker that has monitored technology job cuts since 2020, recorded 125,759 employees losing their jobs at 264 companies between 1 January and 6 August. It logged 122,606 losses at 278 employers for all of 2025, and 152,922 in 2024. Fewer firms are cutting, but rounds are bigger: an average of 476 people per employer this year against 441 last year.

Oracle accounts for the single largest share. Its annual report, filed on 23 June, showed headcount down about 21,000 over the financial year, close to 13% of staff. The company told investors that the adoption of AI across its operations had 'resulted, and may continue to result, in reductions to our workforce.'

Revenue Rises as Tech Layoffs Deepen

Zillow made August's biggest single announcement, telling staff on 4 August that just over 500 employees would leave, 7% of a workforce of 7,058 at the end of March. Chief executive Jeremy Wacksman wrote: 'These changes are about ensuring we have a disciplined cost structure and getting more efficient, with the right people in the right positions.'

The bill arrived the next day. Zillow booked a $36M (£27M) restructuring charge in the second quarter and expects $23M to $28M (£17M to £21M) more in the third, a total of $59M to $64M (£44M to £47M). The charge turned an otherwise strong quarter into a $4M (£3M) net loss, even as revenue rose 18% to $772M (£572M) and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation hit $176M (£130M). Chief operating and financial officer Jeremy Hofmann told analysts the cuts should yield about $75M (£56M) in annualised savings.

Etsy set out what the other side of that transaction is worth. Chief executive Kruti Patel Goyal confirmed about 220 departures on 5 August, close to 12% of the workforce. Leavers will receive at least 16 weeks of severance pay, more depending on tenure, plus up to 12 months of healthcare support, a cash payment covering 2026 incentive pay and near-term equity vesting, and payment for unused leave.

Goyal ruled out both cost-cutting and automation. 'First, our goal wasn't to cut costs,' she wrote, calling savings a consequence of the reorganisation rather than its purpose. She added, 'Second, these decisions weren't driven by AI.' The announcement came alongside second-quarter revenue of $668.3M (£495M), up 6.2% year on year.

TikTok ended 250 jobs on 5 August by shutting its Nashville content moderation office. A spokesperson said the site was closed to 'streamline our operations and better align our teams for long-term growth.'

Google filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification with Washington state the same day covering 52 staff in Kirkland, Redmond, and Seattle. Those exits take effect on 5 October. Salesforce cut a further 74 roles in San Francisco and 59 across Seattle and Bellevue on 6 August.

What Tech Layoffs Pay Out in the UK

Almost all of the roles counted this year are in the United States, where severance is contractual, and employers set packages such as Etsy's. British staff face a statutory formula instead.

Weekly pay used in the calculation is capped at £751 ($1,014) for dismissals on or after 6 April 2026, whatever the employee earns, and service counts for a maximum of 20 years, according to GOV.UK. Acas puts the total statutory ceiling at £22,530 ($30,416). Only employees with at least two years' continuous service qualify.

A UK employee aged 35 earning £80,000 ($108,000) with five years' service is entitled to five weeks at the capped rate, or £3,755 ($5,069), unless a contract provides enhanced terms. Redundancy payments are free of income tax up to £30,000 ($40,500), while any payment in place of notice is taxed as earnings.

TrueUp, a rival tracker that also counts startups and non-US employers, has logged 520 layoff events affecting 174,721 people so far in 2026. That is a rate of 787 a day, against 674 a day across the whole of last year.