Tech layoffs top 1 lakh

More than 108,000 tech jobs had been cut across 137 companies by May 14, 2026, according to Layoffs.fyi data cited by Statista and KRON. In India, local coverage by The Times of India and Moneycontrol framed the same moment as a hiring split rather than a uniform freeze: broad cuts in generalist and middle-layer roles, but continued demand for engineers in AI operations, cloud, cybersecurity and infrastructure. (finance.yahoo.com) The numbers matter because they describe two markets at once. (fortuneindia.com) One is a global cost-cutting cycle in which tech employers are shrinking teams. The other is a narrower skills market in which employers are still paying for people who can run AI systems, secure them and connect them to production infrastructure. (finance.yahoo.com) Fortune India, citing a foundit report published May 7, said nearly 65% of technology hiring demand in India is now concentrated in AI/ML, cloud and cybersecurity roles. ### Where is the 1 lakh figure coming from? Layoffs.fyi was the source cited by Statista and KRON for the global tally of more than 108,000 tech layoffs across 137 companies as of May 14. Statista said the first quarter alone accounted for 81,700 layoffs, with another roughly 20,000 in the first six weeks of the second quarter. (finance.yahoo.com) The Times of India reported on May 15 that tech layoffs had crossed 1 lakh in 2026, with LinkedIn among the latest large employers to announce cuts. Its report also cited TrueUp, another tracker, as logging more than 128,000 tech workers affected across 286 events this year. (fortuneindia.com) ### Which jobs are still being hired for? Fortune India reported on May 7 that AI/ML engineers account for the single largest share of tech hiring demand in India at 13%, while demand for generative AI and large language model skills has risen 26% year over year. The same report said data scientists and DevOps engineers were also seeing double-digit growth as companies pushed AI deployment and cloud migration projects. (finance.yahoo.com) Moneycontrol said demand was rising for roles in cybersecurity, AI operations and infrastructure management even as layoffs crossed the 1 lakh mark. The Times of India similarly listed AI operations, AI maintenance and solutions engineering among roles that employers were still seeking. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) ### Why are those roles holding up better? Tarun Sharma, chief product and technology officer at foundit, told Fortune India that companies were moving from “recovery hiring” to “capability hiring.” He said employers were investing in skills tied directly to productivity, automation and product ownership rather than expanding teams broadly. (fortuneindia.com) Nicole Bachaud, a labor economist at ZipRecruiter, told The Wall Street Journal, as cited by The Times of India, that AI-heavy roles increasingly require communication and collaboration alongside technical depth. The Times of India said recruiters were chasing experienced individual contributors rather than managers. (moneycontrol.com) ### What does this mean for engineers trying to stay employable? The NIIT India Skills Gap Report 2026 said AI, cybersecurity, digital and data skills ranked among the top future capabilities across surveyed groups. The study, conducted with YouGov, drew on responses from 3,500 participants including students, working professionals, recruiters and CXOs. (fortuneindia.com) For candidates, that means the strongest signal is not “learn AI” in the abstract. The stronger signal in the reported hiring data is demonstrable work in production systems — securing cloud environments, managing deployments, building data pipelines, operating AI tools and maintaining infrastructure. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) That inference is supported by the foundit and NIIT reports’ emphasis on AI/ML, cloud, cybersecurity, data and DevOps demand. ### What should sports employers and applicants watch? Sports employers hiring for analytics, ticketing, streaming, fan platforms or venue operations are recruiting in the same labor market for data and infrastructure talent. The India hiring reports do not single out sports, but they do point to the types of technical roles that remain in demand across sectors: cloud, cybersecurity, AI operations and data. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) The next checkpoints are likely to be updated layoff counts from Layoffs.fyi and fresh hiring snapshots from foundit, NIIT and major job platforms as the second quarter progresses through late May and June. (finance.yahoo.com) (fortuneindia.com)