Office Job Hunting Becomes Harder, Layoffs Grow More Fierce in 2026
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Four months into 2026, several companies in the United States (US) have carried out massive layoffs. Some companies are using AI as a reason for workforce reductions.
One of the companies conducting layoffs is Meta in January. The company cut around 10% from its Reality Labs division, the unit working on technologies like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR).
Last month, Meta was also reported to be laying off 15,800 workers. This new policy is due to AI consuming much of the company’s funds, including for attracting talent, building data centres, and acquiring related companies.
Reuters noted several other companies conducting layoffs, such as Pinterest, which dismissed fewer than 780 people or 15% of its total workforce. Similarly, Amazon cut 16,000 workers.
In April, Snap and Disney also announced they would dismiss many of their employees. Both will cut 1,000 positions each.
Layoffs are not only occurring in the technology sector. Other sectors hit by the layoff storm include retail, manufacturing, and finance.
Here is a list of technology companies conducting layoffs during 2026, quoted from Reuters, Thursday (16/4/2026):
January
Pinterest: fewer than 780 people
Autodesk: around 1,000 people
Meta: 10% from the Reality Labs division
Amazon: around 16,000
AngiL: around 350
February
Washington Post: number unknown
Workday: number unknown
C3.ai: around 307
March
Atlassian: around 1,600
Meta: around 15,800 or more
April
Disney: reportedly around 1,000 workers
Snap: around 1,000 workers.
Companies Reluctant to Hire New Employees
Not only haunted by layoff threats, fresh graduates and the unemployed still struggling to find jobs are increasingly under pressure.
Previously, Minneapolis Federal Reserve President Neel Kashkari revealed that AI is causing large companies to slow down new employee recruitment. The low levels of recruitment and layoffs are expected to continue in the labour market. This could make it even harder for the unemployed to find new jobs.
Nevertheless, the impact of slowed new employee recruitment is said not to be very visible in small companies. “AI is really impacting large companies,” he stated, quoted from CNBC International, a short while ago.
Kashkari’s statement aligns with the phenomenon occurring in the UK. Morgan Stanley stated that workers in the UK are more affected by AI adoption than workers elsewhere.
Last year alone, companies in that region cut 8% of their workforce, making it the worst among other countries like Germany, the US, Japan, and Australia.
Companies in Great Britain have experienced an average productivity increase of 11.5% due to AI. However, negative impacts like layoffs and slowed new employee recruitment have become a spectre for the economy.
Quoted from Cryptopolitan, job vacancies have declined in the UK, especially for positions handled by AI, such as software developers or consultants.
Data from the Office for National Statistics indicates that job vacancies vulnerable to AI fell by 37%. Meanwhile, other positions experienced a decline of up to 26%.
“Rising costs of employing staff are pushing more small businesses to use AI and outsourcing solutions to fill traditional roles previously held by local residents who are now losing these opportunities,” explained Justin Moy from EHF Mortgages.
Morgan Stanley said companies in the UK have cut or not refilled a quarter of existing positions. All this is due to AI, which is also experienced by other countries.