The headline figure does at least represent a fall from the 105,441 layoffs during the same month last year. However, that owes much to the DOGE initiative set out at the time. As such, the year-to-date total for 2026 (300,749 job cuts) is also some 50% down from the year-to-date total recorded for 2025 (602,493 job cuts).
In April, tech firms continue to lead the way in terms of job cuts with AI being the key reason for that. Challenger notes:
“Technology companies continue to announce large-scale cuts and are leading all industries in layoff announcements. They are also often citing AI spend and innovation. Regardless of whether individual jobs are being replaced by AI, the money for those roles is.”
In total, the tech sector cut 33,361 jobs for a total of 85,411 so far this year. The year-to-date figure is up 33% from the 64,118 layoffs recorded in the sector during the same months in 2025.
Meanwhile, entities in federal, state, and local government announced plans to cut 9,149 jobs. So, that brings the year-to-date figure to 11,419 layoffs – which are down 96% from the 282,227 cuts announced through April 2025 (largely thanks to the DOGE initiative).
