Global tech restructuring sees Oracle, Amazon, Cognizant, Meta and Microsoft leading layoffs.
Dubai: Global technology companies have cut nearly 154,000 jobs in the first half of 2026, putting the sector on track to exceed last year’s total as artificial intelligence, cost-cutting measures and restructuring plans reshape workforce requirements across the industry.
Data compiled by TradingPlatforms shows that at least 153,965 jobs have been cut across the global tech sector as of July 2, compared with 246,000 layoffs recorded throughout 2025.
The latest wave follows a relatively quieter June, but has renewed focus on the growing influence of artificial intelligence on hiring strategies, management structures and delivery models at some of the world’s largest technology companies.
Biggest job cuts
Oracle has reported the highest number of tech layoffs so far this year, with 25,754 roles eliminated as part of an expanded restructuring programme. The total includes a recent round of cuts affecting about 600 employees in Romania.
Amazon ranks second, having cut around 16,000 corporate roles in January, following an earlier round of 14,000 layoffs that began in October 2025.
The company has also filed a WARN notice for about 600 job cuts at its Homestead, Florida logistics facility, effective between July 2 and September 30. Amazon said the layoffs are linked to the conversion of the two-year-old warehouse from a shipping centre into a full-scale fulfilment facility, with reopening planned for mid-to-late 2028 and around 1,000 jobs expected to return once operations resume.
AI and restructuring
Cognizant is cutting up to 15,000 roles globally under its “Project Leap” restructuring plan, which is linked to a $230 million to $320 million cost programme. India, where more than 250,000 of the company’s 350,000-plus workforce is based, is expected to bear the brunt of the reductions as Cognizant shifts towards a leaner, AI-enabled delivery model.
Meta has cut around 10,400 roles across multiple rounds this year. The company reduced headcount in its Reality Labs division in January, followed by broader cuts across five units in March, before laying off about 8,000 employees in May while cancelling plans to hire 6,000 new staff. A smaller subsequent round also affected jobs in Burlingame and Sunnyvale.
Microsoft has become the latest major company to feature in the 2026 layoff wave, with reported cuts of about 5,500 roles—roughly 2.5% of its 220,000-strong global workforce. The reductions span sales, consulting and Xbox divisions, although the company has not confirmed an exact figure.
Stanislava Savisheva, an analyst at TradingPlatforms, said: “When you look at this year’s job cuts, it’s easy to say AI is killing jobs. But look closer and you find two different things at play. A big part of it is genuine repricing — a company weighs what a task costs with AI versus without, and cuts the gap. But we are also seeing routine restructuring or a fiscal-year trim, dressed up in AI language because that’s the story investors want to hear. Meta and Cognizant both tie their cuts explicitly to AI. Amazon didn’t — it went out of its way to say the 16,000 jobs cut in January were about removing bureaucracy and simplifying management, even as it continued pouring billions into AI infrastructure. That’s the key distinction.
“Nearly every major tech company is investing aggressively in AI, but not every company is willing to say AI is behind its workforce reductions. In many cases, AI is one factor among several, alongside restructuring, cost-cutting and changing business priorities. So in essence, AI has become the strategic priority around which companies are reorganising their businesses, whether they state it or not.”
More cuts possible
The findings suggest that 2026 could be another challenging year for technology workers, as companies continue to rely on restructuring plans to protect margins while investing heavily in AI infrastructure, automation and new operating models.
The trend also points to a more selective labour market, where firms are increasing spending on AI, cloud, data centres and automation, while reducing roles seen as less central to their next phase of growth.
The report is based on layoff announcements, WARN filings and independent reports since January 2026.
