10 Companies Cut the Most Jobs in USA in 2026

America's employment landscape is unraveling far more quickly than most people want to acknowledge. Over the past few months alone, businesses across the United States have revealed plans to eliminate more than 1.1 million positions. That level of job loss hasn't

been seen since the fallout of the Great Recession. Whole teams and divisions are being wiped off the organizational chart as if they never existed. Paychecks tied to roles earning anywhere from 70,000 to $180,000 a year are disappearing almost instantly. Even professionals with

decades of hard-earned experience are being let go through impersonal automated emails that offer no explanation or humanity. From massive tech companies to sprawling logistics powerhouses, employers are cutting staff aggressively in an effort to cope with rising expenses, weaker consumer demand,

and a crushing cost of living crisis. What's unfolding right now isn't a temporary dip or mild correction. This is shaping up to be the most significant wave of corporate downsizing the modern American workforce has ever faced. And it's still in its early stages. Number

10, Walmart. For generations, Walmart has been the fallback option for American families when money gets tight. It's long been the store people turn to when paychecks don't stretch far enough, where groceries cost less, everyday necessities feel attainable, and budgets

can be pushed just a bit further. But in 2025, even Walmart is starting to buckle under the pressure of America's worsening affordability crisis. When the company revealed plans to cut 1,500 jobs, it wasn't merely a routine reorganization.

It was a warning sign that something deeper and more troubling is unfolding. The very system designed to support financially strained households is now under strain itself. These layoffs didn't hit storefront workers. They struck corporate teams, logistics

planning units, and internal operations. The backbone roles responsible for coordinating shipments, managing inventory, and keeping products flowing to more than 4,600 stores nationwide. These weren't low-wage positions. Many of the eliminated roles paid between

70,000 and $130,000 a year, offering rare stability in an increasingly shaky economy. Their removal exposes the mounting stress inside Walmart supply chain. And the reason is simple. American consumers are running out of

money. Food prices have surged, squeezing households from every direction. Today, the average Walmart shopper is spending 15% to 22% more on basic groceries than they were just three years ago. Chicken, eggs, rice, cereal,

canned goods. Nearly everything costs more. A basic cart that once totaled $90 can now soar past $120 without much effort. When shoppers are forced to buy less, Walmart inevitably sells less. And

Walmart sees what policymakers continue to downplay. The affordability crisis is spreading rapidly across the country. Rent keeps climbing. Utility bills are higher. Medical expenses are escalating. Families are being pushed into harsh,

impossible financial decisions. As consumer demand narrows to only the cheapest, bare bones essentials, Walmart's profit margins tighten. In response, the company has doubled down on automation. It has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into AI powered

inventory scanners, robotic pallet systems, automated sorting lines, and machineass assisted packing technology. All designed to reduce reliance on human labor. The 1,500 job cuts are expected to save Walmart tens of millions of dollars each year, a move executives

view as unavoidable as economic conditions continue to deteriorate. For workers, however, the outcome is devastating. Many gave decades of their lives to the company only to be replaced by algorithms, machines, and costcutting formulas. The impact doesn't stop with

those employees. When Walmart, the retailer built to serve struggling Americans, starts cutting jobs while prices keep rising, it sends a sobering message. The affordability crisis isn't stabilizing, it's accelerating. These layoffs represent a turning point. the

moment the cheap store became too expensive to run in an America that's increasingly broke. Number nine, Boeing. Boeing was once held up as the crown jewel of American engineering, a company that represented aerospace dominance, bold innovation, and highly skilled

manufacturing jobs that supported middle class families. For decades, it stood as proof that American industry could still build worldclass machines and pay real wages for real expertise. But in 2025, that reputation took another serious hit. When Boeing confirmed roughly 2,500

job cuts, it wasn't a simple reshuffleling of staff. It was another visible fracture in a company that's been under strain for years. These layoffs didn't target junior or entry-level positions. The cuts reached deep into the core of the organization, engineers, quality inspectors, aerospace

specialists, and safety analysts. Many of these professionals earned between $85,000 and $145,000 annually. Eliminating talent at that level points to far more than routine cost trimming. Boeing is still grappling with the financial wreckage left behind

by production delays, supply chain failures, and billions of dollars in penalties tied to ongoing aircraft safety crisis. Over several years, the company has already swallowed more than $31 billion in cumulative losses. In 2025, the pressure intensified as new

aircraft orders slowed and regulatory scrutiny tightened. Yes, defense contracts are still holding up, but commercial aviation, the heart of Boeing's business, has been bleeding money. The most alarming cuts came from areas tied directly to aircraft testing

and quality assurance. Entire teams responsible for validating bolts, sensors, wiring systems, and structural components were reduced or eliminated. precisely the areas where errors can cost lives and trigger massive lawsuits. Boeing's leadership claims automation

and streamlined processes will compensate for the lost manpower. But the reality is far more straightforward. The company is under extreme financial stress and is slashing payroll to save tens of millions of dollars each year. For thousands of workers, this wasn't

just another layoff notice. It marked the abrupt end of careers built on engineering pride, national identity, and decades of loyalty. Many had spent most of their adult lives at Boeing, only to be told their positions were being transitioned. Severance packages

offer little comfort when weighed against the scale of the company's financial troubles. And for the country as a whole, the emotional impact is heavy. When a cornerstone of American innovation cuts this deeply into its workforce, it signals trouble that goes far beyond aviation. Aerospace has long

been a bellweather for economic health. Planes aren't ordered when companies fear a downturn. Airlines don't expand when demand weakens. And Boeing doesn't shed highincome engineering talent unless the foundation beneath it is starting to crack. These 2500 job cuts

aren't just corporate restructuring. They're a clear warning that America's industrial backbone is under serious strain. Number eight, General Motors. General Motors, the iconic automaker that played a central role in building America's middle class, entered 2025,

staring down a harsh and uncomfortable reality. The long promised shift to electric vehicles, once marketed as a trillion dollar growth engine, has run headirst into serious financial obstacles. Consumer demand for EVs has been inconsistent.

Battery prices remain stubbornly expensive. Interest rates are still high, making financing harder, and unsold electric vehicles are piling up on dealer lots. Right in the middle of this turbulence, GM announced plans to cut 3,420

jobs, a painful restructuring move aimed at saving hundreds of millions of dollars while the company tries to reset its strategy. These reductions weren't limited to factory floors. GM targeted engineering groups, administrative departments, and a range of white collar

roles that directly supported its electric vehicle programs. Many of the affected employees earned between $90,000 and $160,000 a year, working on battery technology, software integration, and next generation drivetrain systems. When a company

starts eliminating highly skilled workers tied to its future products, it sends a clear message. The financial pressure has become unsustainable. Since 2021, GM has poured more than $35 billion into EV development. Yet, the payoff simply hasn't arrived. Sales

projections have fallen far short of expectations. dealerships are overwhelmed with unsold electric inventory while production costs remain too high to compete with lowerpriced models coming out of China. Every vehicle that sits idle on a lot drains thousands of dollars in carrying

costs. At the same time, consumer finances are weakening. With auto loan delinquency rates climbing above 7.3%, many Americans are locked out of new vehicle purchases priced between $48,000 and $65,000.

GM isn't responding to opportunity. It's reacting to fear. Fear that continued losses in electric vehicles could spiral into far deeper financial trouble. For longtime employees, the emotional toll has been severe. Many devoted decades to

the company, believing the EV transition would secure their careers. Instead, they watched their positions vanish as automation, software consolidation, and aggressive budget cuts swept through departments once thought untouchable. GM's layoffs highlight a sobering truth.

America's auto industry is slipping into a recession of its own. And when one of the nation's largest employers starts cutting thousands of skilled workers, the shock waves won't stop at the company gates. They'll spread across states, suppliers, and the entire manufacturing ecosystem. Number seven,

IBM Corporation. IBM stands as one of America's oldest and most recognizable technology giants. A company long associated with computing breakthroughs, enterprise systems, and highly skilled knowledged driven workforces. For decades, it symbolized stability at the

top end of the tech economy. In 2025, that image took a sharp turn. IBM joined the swelling ranks of corporations cutting staff, announcing 2,700 job eliminations as part of a forceful shift toward AI powered automation and tighter

cost controls. These weren't the kinds of layoffs seen in retail or manufacturing. IBM's cuts landed squarely in highly white collar roles, cloud engineers, cyber security experts, data architects, and consultants.

Many of these positions paid between $95,000 and $180,000 a year, placing them firmly in the upper tier of the workforce. IBM's leadership has been unusually direct about what's happening. Automation, they've admitted, is

replacing human labor much faster than companies can realistically retrain their people. The firm has invested billions into generative AI tools and enterprise automation platforms that are expected to wipe out as much as 30% of internal workloads. From a financial

standpoint, removing nearly 3,000 salaries saves IBM more than $250 million annually. But the message behind those savings is unsettling. It points to a rapidly shrinking demand for human workers, even in highle digital and analytical roles

once thought untouchable. The layoffs were concentrated in divisions tied to legacy technologies, areas IBM once dominated. As customers migrate to lowercost cloud competitors and AI assisted services, IBM's market share has eroded quickly, forcing leadership

into aggressive restructuring. Slower contract cycles, weaker software demand, and rising operational expenses left the company little room to maneuver. Inside IBM, the emotional fallout has been severe. Many affected

employees had spent 10, 20, even 25 years building careers there only to be displaced by the very technologies they helped create. For an aging workforce, re-entering today's job market is especially unforgiving. Competing against younger, lowercost AI

native talent puts thousands at an immediate disadvantage. IBM's layoffs expose a troubling reality. A white collar recession is taking shape. Highly educated professionals who once believed they were insulated are now subject to efficiency models that prioritize

algorithms over experience. These 2,700 job cuts aren't an isolated event. They're part of a broader transformation of the American workforce, one where even elite tech careers can vanish almost overnight. Number six, Microsoft.

Microsoft's decision to eliminate 6,000 jobs in 2025 sent a jolt through the entire technology sector. This is a nearly $3 trillion company, one of the wealthiest organizations ever created. And yet, even at that scale, it chose to

cut thousands of employees in a single move. That fact alone reveals how intense the financial pressure inside the tech industry has become. These layoffs didn't spare junior or expendable roles. Microsoft went straight to the top of the talent ladder. Engineers, cloud architects,

cyber security experts, product managers, and AI researchers were all affected. Positions with annual salaries ranging from roughly $120,000 to well over $220,000. These are the professionals responsible for building and maintaining the digital

infrastructure that powers the modern world. Azure cloud systems, enterprise security platforms, and software products used by millions of businesses and individuals all rely on their work. When jobs at this level disappear, it signals a restructuring happening at the

highest layers of the company. The motivation behind the cuts is both straightforward and unsettling. Microsoft has spent more than 10 billion embedding artificial intelligence across its entire ecosystem along with billions more poured into data centers, GPUs, and

massive computing clusters. Operating expenses ballooned. Individual GPU farms can cost hundreds of millions of dollars. And training a single AI model iteration can run anywhere from $50 million to $100 million. Something had

to give and it wasn't executive compensation. These layoffs are part of a broader internal recalibration. But for employees, the human cost has been enormous. Many learned their fate through sudden calendar invites labeled business update, a modern corporate

euphemism that now inspires dread. Plenty of those affected had spent over a decade at Microsoft contributing to cornerstone products like Windows, Office, and Azure, only to see their careers end in a matter of minutes. The timing couldn't be worse. Interest rates

remain elevated. Corporate customers are cutting back on software renewals and enterprise contracts are taking longer to finalize. Even with roughly 88 billion in annual net income, Microsoft is shrinking its workforce to defend profit margins as the global economy

slows. And beneath it all lies a harsher reality. AI is beginning to replace the very engineers who created it. Internal AI co-pilots can now handle testing, debugging, documentation, and even software maintenance, tasks that once

required large teams of developers. These 6,000 job cuts go far beyond routine restructuring. They signal that the white collar job market is entering a far more dangerous and uncertain phase. Number five, Salesforce.

Salesforce, the undisputed giant of cloud-based CRM and one of the most powerful software companies on the planet, stunned the tech world in 2025 when it announced 4,000 job cuts. For a business generating more than $34 billion in annual revenue, this wasn't a

fight for survival. It was a deliberate move to shift leverage toward artificial intelligence while reducing the human labor behind its vast software empire. The layoffs focused on customer support teams, sales operations, cloud consulting groups, and so-called

non-critical engineering roles. Many of the employees affected earned between 95,000 and $180,000 a year, and a significant portion worked remotely. Salesforce had long branded itself as the Ohana company, a workplace built

around family and belonging. In 2025, however, that family was downsized with calculated efficiency. At the heart of the decision is AI automation. Salesforce has invested billions into Einstein GPT, a system capable of writing emails, generating

customer support responses, handling CRM workflows, forecasting revenue, and even analyzing customer sentiment. In practical terms, AI is now performing the work of thousands of employees at a fraction of the cost. Running these AI platforms isn't cheap, but replacing

human workers allows Salesforce to save more than $300 million every year. At the same time, the company is dealing with softening demand from small and midsized businesses. As interest rates climb, software subscriptions are often the first expenses to get cut,

especially tools priced between $25 and $300 per user each month. Renewal cycles slowed, deal sizes shrank, and the warning signs became impossible to ignore. Inside Salesforce, the emotional impact was intense. Employees who had

been praised for strong performance suddenly saw their roles reclassified as non-essential. Internal Slack channels filled with disbelief, anger, and anxiety. A corporate culture once celebrated for warmth and inclusivity now felt distant,

mechanical, and surgical. The consequences extend well beyond Salesforce itself. Thousands of consultants, agencies, and technology partners depend on the Salesforce ecosystem. When Salesforce contracts, an entire economic network tightens with

it. These layoffs underscore a harsh reality. Even the most innovative companies are no longer growing their human workforces. They're expanding their AI capabilities instead. And in 2025, that transition is costing real people their livelihoods. Number four,

Verizon Communications, Inc. Verizon's decision to cut 15,000 jobs in 2025 wasn't merely large. It was a shockwave. This is one of the biggest telecommunications employers in the United States, serving more than 100 million customers who rely on its

networks every day. And yet, even a company of this size is shrinking its workforce at levels not seen since the early 2000s. The layoffs swept across a wide range of departments. Network maintenance crews, customer service teams, retail store staff, cyber

security units, corporate support functions, and even mid-level management were all affected. Employees earning between $55,000 and $130,000 felt the impact most sharply. Entire teams were restructured or eliminated as Verizon

moved to slash payroll by hundreds of millions of dollars. The company expects these cuts to save more than 1.2 billion annually, a stark indicator of the financial stress building beneath the surface. At the heart of the problem is relentless pressure on Verizon's balance

sheet. The company has poured billions into expanding 5G coverage, upgrading fiber networks, and modernizing infrastructure. A single wave of 5G deployment can cost between 8 and10 billion dollar per year. Yet consumer demand hasn't grown fast enough to

justify that level of spending. At the same time, competition is intensifying. Cable companies and lowercost wireless carriers are steadily chipping away at Verizon's market share. Customer churn has risen as inflation squeezes household budgets, pushing people toward

cheaper plans. While Verizon's premium offerings range from $65 to $90 a month, rivals are attracting customers with plans priced as low as $25 to $35. That loss of revenue forced Verizon to make aggressive internal cuts to prevent

profit margins from collapsing. For employees, the emotional toll has been severe. Many had spent 15 to 25 years with the company, starting in entry-level roles and working their way into supervisory positions. Some learned their jobs were gone

through brief video calls with little warning and no sense of closure. These weren't abstract corporate roles. They were workers responsible for maintaining critical infrastructure. The people who kept America's communications running during storms, outages, and national

emergencies. Overnight, many found themselves without jobs. Verizon's layoffs highlight a sobering reality. Even industries considered essential are no longer immune. When a company so deeply woven into daily American life eliminates 15,000 positions, it signals

a serious and expanding economic contraction. This isn't simple cost trimming. It's a restructuring driven by anxiety about a far tougher economic road ahead. Number three, Intel Corporation. Intel's move to eliminate 20,000 jobs in 2025 ranks among the

largest corporate downsizing events the US tech sector has ever seen. This isn't a failing startup or a declining retail chain. This is Intel, a company that once commanded nearly 80% of the global CPU market, now forced to cut tens of

thousands of highly skilled roles just to stay afloat in an industry undergoing violent change. The layoffs reached deep into Intel's core. Chip designers, fabrication plant workers, systems architects, supply chain leaders, and R&D specialists were all affected. Many

of these professionals earned between $110,000 and $190,000 a year. For decades, Intel employees believed their jobs were essentially recessionp proof, protected by America's endless appetite for processors. The layoffs shattered that belief. The

uncomfortable reality is that Intel is hemorrhaging money as it struggles to keep pace with rivals like TSMC and NVIDIA. The company has spent more than $25 billion building and upgrading chip manufacturing facilities across the United States. Part of a strategy meant

to restore semiconductor leadership to American soil. But chip fabrication is brutally expensive. A single advanced facility can cost 15 to 20 billion just to build with billions more required to keep it running. Delays, engineering

setbacks, and production yield issues caused massive cost overruns. problems Wall Street eventually lost patience with. At the same time, the rise of AI computing shifted power away from traditional CPU makers and toward GPU focused companies. Nvidia's market value

surged past $3 trillion, while Intel's valuation fell behind companies far younger and once considered smaller players. That imbalance crushed Intel's stock price and pushed leadership to pursue what it called efficiency. In corporate terms, that meant cutting

people. The emotional fallout inside Intel has been devastating. Engineers who helped design chips used in laptops, servers, satellites, and military systems suddenly found themselves jobless in a tech market already flooded with laid-off talent.

For many, entire careers, 15, 20, even 30 years of work, ended with a single HR email. The damage didn't stop at Intel's doors. Suppliers and partner companies felt the impact immediately. When Intel eliminates 20,000 jobs, it doesn't just

downsize. It sends shock waves through manufacturing hubs in Arizona, Oregon, New Mexico, and Ohio. These regions depend heavily on intel for employment, contracts, and local economic activity. Losing thousands of six-f figureure

salaries drains billions of dollars from regional economies almost overnight. Intel's layoffs send a stark message. America's semiconductor battle is far from won, and even one of the nation's most iconic technology giants is paying an extraordinarily painful price to stay

in the fight. Number two, UPS. UPS's decision to eliminate 48,000 jobs in 2025 sent shock waves through the American labor market. This wasn't a technology firm quietly trimming corporate overhead. This was one of the

largest employers in the country, erasing a workforce bigger than many US cities almost overnight. When UPS cuts nearly 50,000 positions, it signals a deep shift in one of the core pillars of the US economy, logistics. The layoffs spread across the entire operation,

package handlers, delivery drivers, supervisors, dispatchers, warehouse staff, and even mid-level management. Many of these roles were unionized, paid between $45,000 and $95,000 a year, and came with strong benefits. These were

reliable middle class jobs, the exact kind leaders have long promised to protect and rebuild. And yet, they disappeared. Officially, UPS points to restructuring and automation. But beneath that explanation lies a harsher reality driven by money and weakening

demand. The company has invested billions in advanced automation, robotic sorting systems that can cost $250 million per facility, AI powered scanning tools, driver assist software, and fully automated warehouse robots. Each new system reduces the need for

human workers. UPS expects these job cuts to save more than $3 billion annually, a staggering figure that underscores how aggressively people are being replaced by machines. The timing reveals deeper economic fractures. Package volumes have declined as

Americans pull back on online shopping. With inflation tightening household budgets, discretionary spending has dropped sharply, draining billions from e-commerce growth. As revenue forecasts slipped, executives acted quickly to preserve margins by eliminating tens of

thousands of workers. Inside UPS, the emotional toll has been overwhelming. Many employees built their lives around the expectation of stable, long-term employment. Drivers spent years mastering roots, developing customer relationships, and enduring physically

demanding work only to be displaced by automation and cost models. The impact won't stop at UPS. Local communities will feel it deeply. UPS hubs act as economic engines, supporting nearby restaurants, gas stations, small

businesses, and contractors. When 48,000 jobs vanish, entire regions feel the shock. UPS's mass layoffs deliver a sobering message. Even essential industries, shipping, delivery, logistics are no longer

protected. Automation is advancing faster than anyone anticipated, and the workers who kept America moving for decades are now the ones being pushed aside. Number one, Amazon. Amazon's 2025 layoffs, 14,000 confirmed cuts with a

projected total that could reach 30,000, stand as one of the most aggressive corporate workforce reductions of the year. When the second largest private employer in the United States starts eliminating tens of thousands of roles, it's more than a routine reorganization.

It's a warning about where American work is headed. The cuts are concentrated in corporate and technical positions including teams inside AWS, logistics planning, retail operations, advertising, and artificial intelligence development. Many of the affected

employees earned between $120,000 and $210,000 a year, and some held leadership roles overseeing business units worth billions of dollars. The message coming from Amazon is unmistakable. No team, no title, and no

department is immune. Behind the scenes, the company is reshaping itself at a massive scale. Amazon has poured more than $50 billion into AI, cloud infrastructure, and automated fulfillment. A single robotic fulfillment center can cost anywhere

from $30 million to $500 million, and Amazon now runs dozens of them. These facilities operate with a fraction of the human workforce, replacing jobs once handled by thousands of people with machines that never rest, never get sick, and never ask for raises. At the

same time, Amazon's retail business is showing signs of strain. Consumers are pulling back on non-essential purchases, and cart abandonment rates are climbing. When millions of shoppers stop buying $29 gadgets and $49 home items, Amazon's

margins shrink fast. Cutting up to 30,000 salaries saves billions precisely when revenue growth is slowing inside the company. The emotional damage has been severe. Employees describe the layoff process as abrupt, impersonal,

and clinical, often learning they were terminated at the same moment their system access was shut off. Many had spent years pushing themselves to meet Amazon's famously demanding standards only to be dismissed without warning or ceremony. The larger concern is what

Amazon's actions represent. When the company that helped define modern e-commerce and employs hundreds of thousands of Americans begins cutting corporate jobs at this scale, it signals a rapidly intensifying economic downturn and the rise of an AIdriven workforce

replacing humans at unprecedented speed. These layoffs aren't just statistics. They're a preview of the emerging American economy. automated, efficiency obsessed and increasingly unforgiving to workers.