Tech Layoffs Accelerate: 2026 Surpasses All of 2025 by August
The technology sector has reached a grim milestone: job cuts in 2026 have already exceeded the entire year's losses in 2025, with 125,759 workers affected across 264 companies as of early August. Major names including Google, Zillow, and TikTok announced cuts in the first week of August alone.
In the first week of August, tech layoffs in 2026 have already surpassed last year's total as of August 6, with 125,759 employees affected across 264 companies. Layoffs.fyi recorded 122,606 technology-sector employees losing their jobs across 278 companies during all of 2025, meaning 2026 has now exceeded that four-month mark ahead of schedule.
What's Driving the Cuts?
While artificial intelligence remains an obvious factor in the technology industry's spending decisions, several companies have gone out of their way to say that AI was not directly responsible for their job cuts. The latest cuts came from Zillow, TikTok, Etsy and Google, adding hundreds of job losses across the US technology sector during the first week of August.
What This Means for Foreign Workers
If you are on an H-1B visa or other employment-based visa in the US technology sector, this is a critical moment. Layoffs and workforce reductions can directly impact visa sponsorship and employment authorization. Companies undergoing restructuring may freeze hiring, cancel pending visa petitions, or choose not to renew visas for contract roles. Expats working in tech should review their current visa status with an immigration attorney, understand whether your sponsor remains financially stable, and begin updating your resume and network in case your role becomes at-risk. Consider diversifying your job search beyond your current employer to explore portable visa categories (such as EB-based green cards where possible) or preparation for visa transfer to sponsors in sectors with stronger hiring—healthcare, engineering, and finance continue to post jobs despite tech contraction.
Sources
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