More than 40 companies have announced layoffs in 2026, report says

More than 40 firms spanning tech, media, finance, retail, healthcare, manufacturing and consumer goods have announced staff cuts so far in 2026, Hindustan Times reported. Named among them are Amazon, Meta, Oracle, UPS, Citi and Walmart, with roughly 16,000 corporate roles disappearing at Amazon, about 21,000 at Oracle, near 30,000 at UPS and about 20,000 at Citi. Executives point to a mix of factors, cost discipline, restructuring, slowing growth, softer demand and heavier spending on artificial intelligence and automation, with Block, Coinbase and Standard Chartered specifically pointing to AI. Target, separately, is trimming jobs under its new chief executive as it shifts resources out of supply-chain functions and into stores. More than 100 WARN filings hint at additional cuts still to come without confirming them, while a World Economic Forum poll found 41% of firms anticipating AI-driven job losses within five years, even as demand grows for other technology positions.