Since the beginning of the year, tech companies have announced 45,363 job cuts worldwide, with 30,846, roughly 68 per cent of the global total, occurring in the United States, a new report has said.
RationalFX, a global personal finance and trading education platform, disclosed this in its report titled ‘Tech Layoffs 2026: More than 45,000 laid off since the beginning of 2026,’ released on Monday.
The report said these reductions span 43 United States-based companies, with the largest cuts coming from e‑commerce and technology giant Amazon, Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, and fintech and payments provider Block.
It explained that roughly 9,238, or about 20 per cent of the 45,363 tech layoffs recorded worldwide since the start of the year, have been linked to Artificial Intelligence (AI) implementation and organisational restructuring.
“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 report said.
It noted that 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 streamlining operations and expanding internal AI tools.
“Logistics software firm WiseTech Global follows with 2,000 layoffs after announcing a major restructuring aimed at increasing automation across its logistics platforms.”
It said E-commerce platform eBay also cut 800 roles, with leadership emphasising greater efficiency through automation and AI-driven product development.
“Social media platform Pinterest announced 675 layoffs, citing the need to operate more efficiently while continuing to invest heavily in AI-powered advertising and content discovery tools.
“Several other companies have carried out smaller but notable reductions tied to similar transitions,” the report said.
According to the report, Singapore-based home design platform Livspace cut 1,000 positions as it shifts toward more automated design and operations systems, while enterprise software giant Oracle reduced 254 roles amid broader efforts to integrate AI across its cloud infrastructure and database services.
“Smaller reductions have also been reported at companies such as MercadoLibre, ANGI Homeservices, and Foretellix, highlighting how the transition toward AI-enabled operations is affecting companies of all sizes across multiple continents.
“Together, these layoffs reflect a growing shift within the technology sector, where companies are increasingly restructuring workforces to prioritise AI development while slashing roles that are now considered easily automated,” it said.
In 2026, the report said several US 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, it said Sydney ranks among the cities most affected by tech layoffs after logistics software developer WiseTech Global eliminated 2,000 positions as part of a sweeping restructuring programme.
It said the reductions account for the vast majority of Australia’s tech layoffs so far this year, placing Sydney among the global tech hubs most impacted by the sector’s early-2026 downsising.
Across Europe, it said two major technology hubs also feature prominently.
“Stockholm, home to telecommunications equipment maker Ericsson, accounts for 1,900 layoffs, while the Dutch town of Veldhoven, headquarters of semiconductor equipment leader ASML, has seen 1,700 roles cut,” it added.
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Methodology
The global personal finance and trading education platform said to determine which companies led 2026’s biggest job cuts, it compiled layoff data from multiple verified sources, including US WARN notices, TrueUp, TechCrunch, and the Layoffs.fyi tracker, covering announcements made since the start of 2026.
“These are publicly available announcements providing advance notice in cases of qualified plant closings and mass layoffs as required by the U.S. Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act,” it said.
