AI drove 25% of job cuts in March

Layoffs rose sharply in March, and a quarter of these job losses were due to AI. Job cuts rose about 25% in March reaching 60,620 up from 48,307 cuts the month before.  The new data comes from outplacement and executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, who released the report on Thursday. While cuts could be seen across industries, more than 52,000 tech jobs have been cut so far this year with 18,720 happening last month.  Reductions took place at major technology companies like Meta, Oracle, Block, and more. However, the report explained that the number was driven up significantly by the workforce reduction at Dell Technologies (DELL), making the total the highest seen since 2023 in the technology sector. “Removing the wave of federal layoffs announced in February and March of last year, job cut announcements in 2026 are closely following the pattern of 2025, said Andy Challenger, chief revenue officer for Challenger, Gray & Christmas in the report.