Tech hiring remains weak

Tech hiring is still weak in 2026, even as companies keep spending on artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructure. (moneycontrol.com) Moneycontrol reported on April 18 that global tech layoffs had topped 73,000 jobs this year. Telangana Today, citing Layoffs.fyi data, reported earlier this month that cuts had crossed 80,000 in the first quarter alone. (moneycontrol.com) (telanganatoday.com) The cuts have hit companies including Amazon, Meta, Oracle, Salesforce and Snap, with executives tying some reductions to restructuring, automation and new artificial intelligence priorities. Forbes reported on April 15 that Snap blamed a 1,000-person layoff on artificial intelligence, and Business Insider has tracked fresh cuts across major tech firms this year. (forbes.com) (businessinsider.com) Hiring has not stopped, but it has slowed sharply. Indeed said in its 2026 U.S. Jobs and Hiring Trends report that job postings across most sectors slid through 2025, while Business Insider said tech postings were among the categories in decline. (indeed.com) (businessinsider.com) That slowdown is showing up most clearly for people trying to get their first job. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York said recent college graduates had a 5.7% unemployment rate and a 42.5% underemployment rate in the fourth quarter of 2025, the highest underemployment reading since 2020. (newyorkfed.org) Career advisers told Business Insider this month that graduates are still landing jobs, but searches are taking longer and relying more on networking, internships and referrals. Jennifer Neef, who runs the career center at the University of Illinois, said hiring is slow and job searches are long. (businessinsider.com) The market looks contradictory because layoffs and hiring are happening in different parts of tech at the same time. CompTIA said on March 24 that U.S. tech workforce growth is still forecast at 1.9% in 2026, or about 185,000 new positions, even after a net decline in 2025. (prnewswire.com) (comptia.org) The split is between older roles and newer ones. CompTIA said more than 275,000 active postings in January referenced artificial intelligence skills, while employers also continued hiring for data, cloud, cybersecurity and infrastructure work. (prnewswire.com) For workers, that means the old boom-era pattern of fast offers and broad recruiting is still gone. The jobs are there, but in 2026 they are arriving more selectively, with fewer entry-level openings and more pressure to match the exact skills companies say they need. (businessinsider.com) (newyorkfed.org)