Tech Sector Executes Over 180,000 Global Layoffs in 2025 Amid AI Shift

Global layoffs have surged in 2025, with trackers reporting 180,094 tech-sector job cuts as of Oct. 1 — a pace of roughly 489 jobs per day that could match or exceed 2024’s 152,000 cuts. Major employers including Intel, Microsoft, TCS and Accenture account for many of the reductions, with American companies responsible for about 119,368 of the losses and an estimated 50,184 jobs tied directly to AI and automation. Drivers cited across reports include rapid AI adoption, automation, cost-cutting and broader economic pressures, while a World Economic Forum survey found 41% of companies expect to reduce workforces over the next five years because of AI even as demand for AI and data roles grows. Local WARN filings show large, specific actions — for example, Spirit Airlines plans to furlough 224 Texas flight attendants (part of about 1,800 crew cuts amid bankruptcy) and DTSV Inc. is laying off 169 workers in the D‑FW area. Despite widespread cuts, some regions show resilience: Arizona added 38,500 jobs year‑over‑year through August and held a 4.1% unemployment rate, even as many firms (including Microsoft and FedEx) filed WARN notices for October layoffs. Real‑time trackers and outplacement firms continue updating notices (Layoffs.fyi, TrueUp, WARNTracker, RationalFX, Challenger Gray & Christmas), underscoring an ongoing structural shift in the labor market as companies restructure and automate.