Tech Layoffs 2026: 1.28 Lakh Jobs Cut Worldwide as MNCs and Domestic IT Firms Trim Over 35,000 Roles in India

Global corporate restructurings have triggered over 1.28 lakh tech layoffs worldwide in 2026, creating a dual-front impact in India as American multinationals trim offshore development hubs while homegrown IT services giants reduce overall headcount.

Data from corporate tracking platform Layoffs.fyi shows the global wave accelerating, with over 6,300 tech jobs eliminated in the first ten days of September alone. In India, workforce reductions estimated between 25,000 and 35,000 total roles have split into two distinct tracks: direct job cuts inside domestic engineering units by global tech giants like PayPal and Oracle, and a net headcount contraction of over 7,000 employees among top Indian IT majors including Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Tech Mahindra.

Global Players Trim India Operations Alongside Global Cuts

The global job cuts are being driven by technology firms shifting budgets toward artificial intelligence infrastructure and leaner management structures. Silicon Valley majors are restructuring their Indian subsidiaries as part of global cost-cutting mandates:

• PayPal: Cut 220 jobs across its technology and operations centres in Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad representing roughly 4% of its Indian workforce as part of a broader 4,760-job global reduction aimed at saving $400 million this year.
• Oracle: Led global downsizing with 21,000 job cuts (~13% of its global workforce) to fund expanding cloud and AI data centre expenditures, impacting technical teams in India during its global operational adjustments.
• Amazon, Dell, Meta, and Uber: Executed massive global reductions Amazon cutting 17,267 roles across five rounds, Dell shedding 11,000, Meta trimming 10,400, and Uber planning 3,300 corporate cuts (10% of its global team) with local engineering, support, and operations teams in India absorbing a share of the realignments.

Overall, staffing analysts estimate that global multinationals have directly eliminated between 10,000 and 15,000 roles within their Indian offshore and product engineering units this year.

Homegrown Indian IT Majors Realign Headcount Model

Simultaneously, India's domestic IT service providers are curbing traditional bench-building and entry-level hiring as clients push for AI-augmented project delivery.

The top listed Indian IT services firms TCS, Infosys, Wipro, HCLTech, and Tech Mahindra reported a combined net headcount decline of over 7,000 employees in FY26, reversing previous hiring expansions:

• Tata Consultancy Services (TCS): Recorded a net reduction exceeding 23,000 employees across the year as part of its structural shift to an "AI-first" delivery model.
• Tech Mahindra & Wipro: Streamlined operations and lowered campus recruitment targets to align workforce size directly with current client deal flows.
• Infosys & HCLTech: Maintained modest net additions (+1,800 to +5,000 roles) but selectively trimmed non-performing business lines and slowed fresher onboarding.

While traditional IT outsourcing firms pull back, India's expanding network of Global Capability Centres (GCCs) owned by international banks and retailers provides the sole cushion, projected to add over 1.2 lakh specialized technical roles by the end of the year.