Nearly 80,000 tech workers have already lost their jobs in 2026 — and AI impact means more could be to come

• 70,000-80,000 tech workers have lost their jobs already in 2026
• Some see AI as the cause, others as the scapegoat
• Likelihood is that job losses are set to continue

New Nikkei Asia reporting has claimed around 78,000 to 80,000 tech jobs were cut globally during the first quarter of 2026 – around three-quarters of which occurred in the US alone.

Though the data only focuses on the tech industry specifically, the data suggest that major firms and startups were all affected by ongoing layoffs.

As for the 'why', the report suggests that nearly half of the job cuts were attributed to AI or automation, though this may be an underestimation due to reporting differences, with many companies simply citing cost-cutting measures.

Tech layoffs continue well into 2026

Layoffs.fyi shows similar data, with 70,474 estimated job losses occurring during the first three months of 2026 – a considerable increase over the 29,845 during the same period of 2025 and 57,269 during Q1 2024, but significantly less than the 167,674 tech job losses during the first quarter of 2023.

The sudden sharp increase is likely the result of AI being used to replace or reduce the need for human roles. Nikkei Asia suggests the job cuts could be freeing up money for companies to invest in their own AI plans, rather than being a result of any proven productivity gains, showing that the long-term benefits are still largely unknown.

However, while many believe AI's impacts could be underestimated, some (including Cognizant Chief AI Officer Babak Hodjat, cited in Nikkei Asia's report) also see the tech as a scapegoat for general restructuring and over-hiring corrections in response to post-pandemic overexpansion and general business shifts.

Whatever the cited reasons and actual reasons may be, it's clear that 2026 is shaping up to be another heavy-hitting year for tech workers, and with studies pointing at further impacts on white-collar and entry-level jobs in the future, the trend shows no sign of stopping.

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