New figures show March 2026 was the worst month for tech job layoffs since 2024 — but it's probably going to get worse

Fingers typing on a laptop keyword, with many small images of people portrait pictures in the background. — (Image credit: Isabela Bela / Pixabay)

March 2026 was the worst month for layoffs since 2024
Tech companies are cutting workforces to invest in AI
Entry level jobs are shrinking, and other jobs could be next

March 2026 has been the worst month for tech job layoffs in the past two years, with over 38,000 employees now out of work.

According to layoff tracking website Layoffs.fyi, the majority of the layoffs in March come from Oracle, who slashed 30,000 jobs in March following a rocky end of year performance and a $300 million deal with OpenAI.

Atlassian also announced a cut of 1,600 jobs with a shift towards a new AI strategy, and Epic Games cut 1,000 jobs after experiencing an engagement drop with its hit game Fortnite.

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The worst is yet to come

In March, Meta announced plans to cut 20% of its workforce, or around 16,000 employees, but have since confirmed a 10% reduction, or 8,000 employees, instead. Several other companies, including Microsoft, Block, Amazon, and eBay have all cut their workforces over the past few months.

A graph showing the number of employees laid off and the number of companies with layoffs from 2024 to 2026. — (Image credit: Layoffs.fyi)

Many companies are turning towards AI and automation to increase efficiency, productivity, and revenue. This comes with the unfortunate downside that some employees are therefore seen as superfluous, and their jobs cut.

As the Wall Street Journal reports, this does come with a caveat. Many companies are attempting to outspend each other on AI, which has become somewhat of an unofficial metric for a company's success. In order to foot the bill for new data centers and chips, jobs are usually the first to go.

More and more money gets spent, and more and more CEO’s have to justify that the investment in AI is sound, and is actually delivering the benefits it has promised. If not, cut more jobs and invest more in AI.

It could be argued that companies are simply compensating for the rapid overhiring that occurred following the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the number of job openings has now fallen below its 2018 peak, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS).

A graph from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey showing job openings between 2011 and 2026. — (Image credit: US Bureau of Labor Statistics)

AI is already shrinking the job market for new graduates. In a 2025 interview with Axios, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said that AI could wipe out half of all entry-level white collar jobs within the next five years. If the efficiency gains and productivity increases AI companies are promising come true, that could bite further into white collar jobs as a whole.

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Benedict is a Senior Security Writer at TechRadar Pro, where he has specialized in covering the intersection of geopolitics, cyber-warfare, and business security.

Benedict provides detailed analysis on state-sponsored threat actors, APT groups, and the protection of critical national infrastructure, with his reporting bridging the gap between technical threat intelligence and B2B security strategy.

Benedict holds an MA (Distinction) in Security, Intelligence, and Diplomacy from the University of Buckingham Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies (BUCSIS), with his specialization providing him with a robust academic framework for deconstructing complex international conflicts and intelligence operations, and the ability to translate intricate security data into actionable insights.

The worst is yet to come

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