Tech sector layoffs slow down in 2025; Intel, Microsoft report largest reductions

Layoffs in the tech sector have scaled back so far in 2025, for the second year in a row, with Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) reporting the largest workforce reductions.

Nearly halfway into 2025, 137 tech companies have laid off a total of 62,114 employees, according to the tracker Layoffs.fyi. If layoffs in the tech sector continue at this same rate throughout the year, the total for 2025 would hit 145,080. This would mark a decline from the 152,922 layoffs tracked in 2024, and well below the 264,220 layoffs recorded in 2023.

The largest layoffs this year occurred at Intel, when it was revealed in April the chipmaker would reduce its staff by more than 20% in a bid to eliminate bureaucracy by streamlining management and rebuilding an engineer-driven culture. It was the first major restructuring under new CEO Lip-Bu Tan. This resulted in approximately 22,000 layoffs, according to some reports. This means the layoffs at Intel account for more than one-third of all the tech layoffs this year.

The next biggest layoff, in terms of sheer numbers, occurred at Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) in mid-May. The tech giant reduced its global workforce by 3%, or about 6,000 employees.

“We continue to implement organizational changes necessary to best position the company for success in a dynamic marketplace,” said a Microsoft spokesperson to Seeking Alpha.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) enacted a performance-based job cut plan in February, which reportedly reduced its workforce by 3,600. CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced in January that he planned to let go 5% of employees who are rated as low performers, with plans to backfill those roles later this year.

Also in February, Workday (NASDAQ:WDAY) announced plans to reduce its staff by 8.5%, or 1,750 employees. The cuts were part of a broader strategy to enhance operational efficiency amid changing market conditions.

Other notable cases include Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) laying off 1,000 as part of its restructuring efforts while simultaneously hiring for roles to sell new AI products. Autodesk (NASDAQ:ADSK) reduced its head count by 9%, or 1,350 employees, as it transitions from subscriptions and multi-year contracts to self-service enablement and direct billing.

HP (NYSE:HPQ) also revealed it was laying off 1,000 to 2,000 employees as part of its ongoing restructuring plan. And Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE:HPE) implemented a cost-cutting program this year which will reduce its headcount by about 5%, or about 2,500 employees.