Artificial intelligence has claimed over 1.65 lakh jobs worldwide in just the first eight months of 2026, a staggering 65 percent jump over the entire year of 2025. More than 55 chief executives have blamed AI for mass layoffs across technology, banking, consulting, legal, logistics, retail, manufacturing, and media sectors.
AI Job Losses Triple in Two Years
Data from layoff tracking platforms shows the rapid escalation of AI-driven job cuts. In 2024, about 18,000 positions were affected across seven major international companies. That figure surged past 1 lakh in 2025. Now in just eight months of 2026, over 1.65 lakh jobs have been eliminated globally due to AI-related changes.
HCL Ex-CEO Says People Are Not Disposable
Vineet Nayar, former chief executive of HCL Technologies and founder of the Sampark Foundation, has strongly criticized companies using AI as a reason to fire workers. Speaking about his book “Humans First, Machines Second”, Nayar argued that every revolution in history has been led by humans. He said people should never be treated as problems to be discarded.
11 Giants Cut 10,000 Staff Each
At least 11 companies have announced AI-linked layoffs affecting 10,000 or more employees since 2025. These include Accenture, Amazon, Citigroup, Dell, HSBC, Intel, Microsoft, Meta, Oracle, TCS, and UPS. The impact has spread well beyond pure technology roles into banking, law, logistics, and manufacturing.
Law Firms and Airlines Reshape Workforce
Baker McKenzie, a global law firm, has seen support staff, research, and secretarial roles affected by AI. German airline Lufthansa has announced plans to eliminate thousands of administrative positions by 2030. Nike has boosted automation across its supply chain and digital operations. Logistics firm C.H. Robinson cut staff after deploying AI-based pricing, scheduling, and shipment tracking tools.
Companies Shift Focus to Reskilling
Many firms are not just cutting jobs but changing the nature of work itself. Companies are trying to retrain affected employees for AI, data analytics, and other new technology roles. The biggest challenge remains for workers whose current skills are considered less valuable in the AI era. Employers increasingly prefer hiring AI experts and reskilling existing staff rather than expanding headcount.
