The year 2025 has become one of the most turbulent periods for the global workforce in recent history. Across major industries, from technology and energy to automotive and pharmaceuticals, thousands of employees have faced layoffs as companies restructure to adapt to changing market conditions. Rising operational costs, slower revenue growth, and the accelerating shift toward automation and artificial intelligence have reshaped corporate priorities worldwide.
These large-scale job cuts highlight a broader trend in the global economy: businesses are redefining efficiency, focusing on digital transformation, and preparing for long-term sustainability amid uncertain demand. While some layoffs are driven by declining profits, others reflect a strategic move to reallocate resources toward high-growth areas such as AI, renewable energy, and cloud infrastructure.
This article reviews the most significant layoffs of 2025 to provide a clear overview of how global corporations are navigating a year marked by transformation, cost restructuring, and shifting workforce dynamics.
10 Biggest Layoffs Announced So Far in 2025
1. United States Federal Government (via the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative)
This is arguably the most sweeping layoff story of 2025: across the U.S. federal civil-service system.
What’s happening:
Following the establishment of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) by executive order on February 11, 2025, the White House and agency leadership pushed major workforce-optimization efforts.
According to publicly-available tracking, by mid-year some 200,000 + federal civil-service employees had either been laid off, targeted for layoff, or left via buyouts/early retirement.
Some news-reports push the figure higher: for example one estimate of roughly 280,000 job cuts across federal agencies.
Triggers & rationale:
- The DOGE initiative frames these cuts as part of an “efficiency” drive: flattening bureaucracy, reducing non-mission personnel, shifting functions toward automation.
- Political ideology and structural reform: Some of the cuts centre on offices handling DEI, regulatory enforcement, and oversight functions indicating a policy dimension beyond mere cost-cutting.
- A need to rein in spiraling federal costs and re-focus the civil service amid fiscal pressure.
Implications & value point:
- This is a reminder that layoffs aren’t only a “corporate tech” phenomenon. They can be structural and systemic, shaping public-service delivery, not just shareholder value.
- For employees, the pace and breadth of change are sobering: entire units, probationary hires, and less-visible back-office roles are being targeted.
- From a value perspective: organisations (public or private) under pressure to modernise must consider skills-upgrade + transition support — not simply headcount reduction.
- For policy watchers: the public-service workforce is far less immune than many believe from major disruption; governments now behave more like large businesses in “scale-down” mode.
Also Read: 15 Jobs at High Risk of AI (Is Yours On The list?)
2. GEICO (a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway) — ~30,000 employees
What’s happening:
In May 2025, Berkshire Hathaway disclosed that GEICO had cut approximately 30,000 jobs. One article cites GEICO reducing its workforce from about 50,000 to 20,000 (though this figure appears extreme and likely includes a broader time-span).
Triggers & rationale:
- The insurance powerhouse said the cuts were part of efforts to streamline operations and compete more effectively in a challenging underwriting environment.
- In the wider context: many insurers are facing margin compression, competition from insurtech, and high inflation in claims costs driving the need to rethink staffing.
- GEICO specifically indicated it plans to save some $20 billion annually via the reduction.
Implications & value point:
- Even relatively “stable” industries like insurance are not immune to major workforce disruption when margins get tight and structural change (automation, AI underwriting, digital distribution) bites.
- Employers facing this kind of environment must pair cuts with redeployment strategies: shifting staff into digital roles, retraining, or offering voluntary severance.
- For policy/stakeholders: large scale job cuts in insurance ripple fast—because many such jobs are regional or local, and often feed smaller-economies (call centres, brokers, etc.).
- Value lesson: when a business says “we’re cutting 30,000 jobs” it signals more than cost-cutting, it signals a re-definition of the business model (fewer people, more automation, leaner operations).
3. Intel Corporation — about 24,000 jobs
What’s happening:
Intel has announced a layoff plan that will reduce its core workforce by about 24,000 employees by the end of 2025. Its plan is to finish the year with roughly 75,000 “core employees”, down from about 99,500 at the end of 2024.
Triggers & rationale:
- Intel cited over-investment in factories, fragmented operations, and weak performance in new segments (especially AI-server chips) as reasons
- Its new CEO Lip-Bu Tan emphasised the need for “no more blank checks” and a more disciplined cost structure.
- As part of the cut-back, Intel is pulling back on planned “mega-fab” projects in Germany and Poland and ending certain manufacturing operations (e.g., in Costa Rica) to focus resources where demand is strongest.
Implications & value point:
- This case underscores that in capital-intensive sectors (semiconductors, manufacturing) workforce reduction is often a proxy for scaling down investment and repositioning the business.
- For employees: “layoffs” here often align with facility consolidations, geographic shift (e.g., moving to Vietnam from Costa Rica) and so need broader transition support (relocation, reskilling).
- For investors & managers: simply announcing jobs are being cut is often accompanied by a broader strategic pivot (in this case: focus on fewer, higher-performing fabs, and exit from lower-margin operations).
- Value lesson: When a business signals a cut of 24,000 jobs, treat it as a signal that the business footprint itself has changed, not just headcount.
4. UPS — ~20,000 jobs
What’s happening:
In April 2025, UPS confirmed its plans to reduce roughly 20,000 jobs, citing automation and changes in its volume of business with major customers (notably Amazon) as key reasons.
Triggers & rationale:
- The logistics business is under dual pressure: e-commerce growth (which paradoxically may reduce some types of jobs via automation/efficiency) and margin pressure from rising fuel/ labour costs.
- For UPS, the reduction is part of a longer-term “future-proofing” exercise: more automation in sorting, routing, last-mile delivery; less reliance on traditional labour-intensive processes.
- Additionally, shifts in its client base (with Amazon increasingly moving logistics in-house) reduce the workload for third-party carriers.
Implications & value point:
- Logistics and distribution jobs which have long been viewed as a stable “middle-skills” employment category are now being disrupted by automation and volume shifts.
- For labour markets: workers in large hubs must increasingly consider mobility, upskilling and the impacts of automation.
- For business leaders: such a major cut signals that “legacy” operations (grounds-sorting, mid-shift labour) are no longer sacrosanct. To extract value: companies must pair job cuts with investment in new capacities (autonomous vehicles, smart warehousing) and support for displaced labour.
- Value lesson: A 20,000-job cut at a major logistics firm signals structural change in global supply-chains not just cyclical cost-cutting.
5. Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. — ~20,000 jobs and seven‐plant closures
What’s happening:
In May 2025, Nissan announced under its “Re:Nissan” recovery plan that it will reduce around 20,000 jobs globally, representing about 15 % of its workforce, and close seven manufacturing plants. Earlier in May the Japanese broadcaster NHK reported the more than 10,000 job-cuts increasing to the 20,000 figure.
Triggers & rationale:
- Nissan has reported a net loss (for its fiscal year ended March 2025) of around US$4.5 billion, driven by weak sales in major markets (China, U.S.) and high restructuring costs.
- The company says the restructuring is necessary to make it leaner, more competitive, and focused on growth areas (including electric vehicles) under new leadership
- The move to close seven plants indicates a significant shift: reduction in manufacturing footprint, possibly shifting production geographies or portfolios.
Implications & value point:
- For employees: Massive global job cuts in automotive manufacturing and plant closures carry major implications for regional clusters (supply-chain, communities) and require robust transition planning.
- For the automotive industry: The restructuring reflects how legacy automakers are reacting to structural pressures (EV transition, sluggish demand in China/US, high cost base).
- For policymakers & labour markets: The effect of 20,000 jobs being cut globally (and manufacturing plants closing) will ripple through vendor suppliers, local economies, and regional labour ecosystems.
- Value lesson: When an automaker announces 20,000 job cuts plus plant closures, it signals fundamental repositioning, manufacturing footprint, product-mix, geographies are all changing.
6. Joann Fabrics — ~19,000 jobs
What’s happening:
Retailer Joann Fabrics, facing bankruptcy, announced elimination of an estimated 19,000 jobs tied to store-wide closures and liquidation of large parts of its business (one of the largest retail workforce reductions in the year).
Triggers & rationale:
- The brick-and-mortar retail environment continues to suffer from multiple pressures: rising online competition, inflation-strained consumer spending, and high store fixed-costs.
- Bankruptcy often forces retailers to shutter stores, close operations and let go staff en-mass.
- In retail especially, store closures often translate directly into job loss (store staff, management, regional office, distribution).
Implications & value point:
- Retail job cuts of this scale underscore how consumer-facing jobs are vulnerable in downturns or shifts to digital.
- Workers in retail need agility: when store closures accelerate, redeployment, retraining into logistics/warehouse/online-fulfillment roles becomes critical.
- For companies: restructuring in retail is no longer just about opening/closing shops, it’s about complete reevaluation of the business model (physical + digital).
- Value lesson: 19,000 jobs cut in a retailer signals more than a short-term downturn; it signals retail business model contraction (less physical store presence, fewer support functions, more automation/online-fulfilment).
7. Nestlé S.A. — ~16,000 job cuts worldwide
Latest updates
Nestlé, the Swiss food-and-beverage giant behind brands like Nescafé, KitKat and Purina, announced on October 16 2025 that it will cut approximately 16,000 jobs globally over the next two years. This figure represents around 5.8% to 6% of its global workforce of roughly 277,000 employees. Of the announced cuts, about 12,000 positions are white-collar (office, administrative, corporate roles) and approximately 4,000 roles will come from manufacturing, logistics and supply-chain operations.
Triggers & rationale
- Nestlé’s nine-month results for 2025 reported net sales declining by 1.9% to CHF 65.9 billion, although organic sales growth improved around 3.3% driven by price increases.
- External pressures include higher commodity costs (cocoa, coffee), unfavorable foreign-exchange impacts, and trade-tariff risks (for example U.S. tariffs on Swiss goods) affecting margins.
- A leadership transition triggered greater urgency: in September a new CEO, Philipp Navratil, took over and stated that the company needed to move faster to remain competitive.
- The cuts enable the firm to refocus on higher-return and growth-oriented categories (premium coffee, confectionery, pet-care) and to streamline lower performing segments.
Implications & value point
- For employees: Even a major global consumer-goods company headquartered in a stable sector is subject to large-scale workforce reduction when cost pressures and structural shifts converge.
- For the company: Nestlé’s move signals a shift from incremental adjustments toward a more aggressive restructuring stance prioritising profitability, efficiency and strategic focus over scale for its own sake.
- For market observers: The spike in share price suggests that markets view a large-layoff announcement as a credible signal of turnaround intent; yet such measures also carry execution risk and reputational exposure.
- Value lesson: Layoffs of this magnitude in a consumer-goods firm reflect more than cost-trimming; hey suggest a reset of strategic posture: fewer roles, sharper portfolio, stronger focus.
8. Party City — ~16,000 jobs
What’s happening:
The party-supply chain Party City announced closure of all its stores in 2025, resulting in roughly 16,000 workers being laid off. While a specific total number is not provided, sources indicate that the majority of its 16,000-plus employees, including a mix of full-time and part-time staff, would be affected by the closures.
Triggers & rationale:
- Specialty retail chains like Party City are squeezed from multiple directions: consumer spending softening, competition from big-box/digital, and escalation in fixed-cost burdens (leases, inventory).
- The decision to close all stores is extreme, indicating a full exit from the business model (rather than a repositioning) so the workforce impact is correspondingly large.
- For many employees, especially in local markets, the impact will be immediate and workforce transition difficult.
Implications & value point:
- The elimination of an entire chain is a stark indicator of how fragile certain business models can be when consumer behaviour shifts.
- For labour markets: specialty-retail employees often lack transferable credentials, so big cuts like this demand aggressive retraining systems.
- Companies facing such scenarios must embed transition support, severance, and local economic assistance into their planning if they want to mitigate reputational risk and social cost.
- Value lesson: A 16,000-job cut in this sector signals the end of a business model, not just a downsizing. It invites questions about the viability of “mall/store-based” specialty retail in the post-2020 era.
9. Microsoft Corporation — ~15,000 job cuts and counting
Latest updates:
Microsoft announced in May 2025 that it would lay off over 6,000 employees, or about 3 % of its global workforce at that time. Then in July it disclosed another round impacting around 9,000 employees, bringing the total to at least ~15,000 so far.
They’ve continued smaller cuts beyond that: one report notes that in September a further ~40 roles (in a specific location) were cut, marking the fifth consecutive month of reductions.
Despite the layoffs, Microsoft maintained that its global headcount at the end of its 2025 fiscal year (ending June) held steady at about 228,000.
Triggers & rationale:
- The company is making a major strategic push into artificial intelligence and related infrastructure — reportedly an investment of around $80 billion in 2025.
- The cuts are framed as part of streamlining management layers, creating high-performing and more agile teams, and shifting away from roles or business areas that are not aligned with the future-focus. For example, one article noted:
“Microsoft’s 2025 layoffs revolve around its desperate $80 billion AI infrastructure investment.” Redmond Channel Partner - The layoffs span multiple divisions: engineering, product management, LinkedIn, international operations. One AP News piece described the May job cuts as:
“Affected approximately 6,000 employees … departments impacted include Xbox and LinkedIn.” AP News - In its own disclosures, Microsoft is pointing to “performance-based” cuts and a focus on roles that are strategic.
Implications & value point:
- For employees, this case shows that even highly-successful, large tech companies are under pressure to refocus, and that job security is increasingly tied to alignment with future business priorities (AI, cloud, platform services), not just being in a “stable” tech role.
- For companies, Microsoft illustrates that large scale layoffs can serve as a tool not only for cost-saving, but for strategic repositioning, shifting capital and resources into high-growth domains while shedding other legacy or lower-growth roles.
- For the broader market, the story underscores a theme of 2025: tech workforce reduction + reinvestment into AI/cloud infrastructure.
- Value lesson: When you see a company announce ~9,000 job cuts (as Microsoft did in July), interpret it not simply as cost-cutting but as a signal of strategic change. In Microsoft’s case: they are betting on AI, and reorganising accordingly.
10. Panasonic Holdings Corporation — ~10,000 job cuts globally
What’s happening:
In May 2025, Panasonic announced plans to cut 10,000 staff globally — approximately half of those (5,000) in Japan, and the other half overseas. One report noted the cuts amount to about a 4 % reduction in total global workforce. The cut was part of a broader restructuring: Panasonic expected to book around ¥130 billion (≈ US$896 million) in restructuring costs in the current business year.
Triggers & rationale:
- The company pointed to weakening demand in key business segments and a drop in operating profit: its profit forecast dropped about 17.5 % year-on-year through March, and sales were down around 0.5 %.
- The electronics manufacturer is shedding underperforming or non-strategic business units (for example, some EV battery or consumer electronics segments) and closing or consolidating facilities.
- Management framed this as needing to become a “leaner, more efficient company”, moving away from the weight of legacy operations.
Implications & value point:
- For workers: job losses in this case are not just in one geography but spread globally, affecting functions like back-office, sales, some manufacturing, highlighting that workforce transformation in heavy manufacturing and electronics is truly global.
- For companies: when demand slows and investment in new growth (e.g., EVs, smart devices) is uncertain, cutting personnel becomes part of resetting the cost base and pivoting to profitable niches.
- For investors & industry watchers: Panasonic’s cuts signal how the consumer electronics/manufacturing sector is under pressure from slowing growth, changing product cycles, and heavy capital demands.
- Value lesson: A 10,000-job cut here is embedded in a story of structural decline (or transformation) not simply a one-off cost reduction. When you see such a number in manufacturing, it often means the business model itself is shifting.
Additional Layoffs:
– Chevron Corporation — up to ~9,100 jobs (15–20 % of workforce) by end of 2026
Latest updates:
Chevron stated in February 2025 that it will cut 15 % to 20 % of its global workforce by the end of 2026. Some commentary translates this into a headcount reduction range of ~6,830 to 9,100 jobs for 2025-26. Also there are additional smaller notices: e.g., layoffs of ~200 employees in Texas in 2025 as part of the broader initiative.
More recent news (October 2025) shows Chevron laying off >100 employees in North Dakota linked to the merger with Hess Corp, signalling continuation of the broader workforce reduction program.
Triggers & rationale:
- Chevron cites the need to simplify organisational structure, operate more efficiently, and position for stronger competitiveness amid energy sector pressure.
- The company has faced production challenges, cost overruns (for example, in a large Kazakhstan oilfield project) and macro-headwinds (energy transition, demand shifts).
- The timing aligns with broader cost-reduction goals: Chevron aims to save US$2-3 billion by 2026 via these workforce and organisational changes.
Implications & value point:
- For workers: Cuts in a major oil & gas firm highlight that legacy energy companies are undergoing structural transformation not just cycling through cost-cutting.
- For the industry: Energy companies must rethink workforce and operations in light of transition risks (renewables, decarbonisation), and cuts of this scale reflect that urgency.
- For geographies: Many of the affected jobs will be in regions with large energy-sector employment bases (Texas, North Dakota), meaning regional labour markets will feel the impact.
- Value lesson: When you hear “up to 20 % of workforce cut” at a global energy giant, interpret it as signalling a re-engineering of business model, lower cost base, leaner operations, possibly less oil-centric growth strategy.
– Oracle Corporation — 3000 job cuts globally to ~10,000 Predicted
Latest updates:
Between August and September 2025, Oracle quietly eliminated over 3,000 jobs globally, with numerous state WARN filings in the U.S. confirming cuts in California, Washington, Kansas, as well as across Canada, India and the Philippines.
Analyst estimates suggest the total cuts may rise to as many as 10,000 by year-end, as part of a broader restructuring effort announced by the company. The layoffs are concentrated in the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) division as well as adjacent technical architecture, software development, support and legacy application teams.
Triggers & rationale
- Oracle is doubling down on its cloud and AI infrastructure ambitions, backed by large contracts (notably a $300 billion+ arrangement with OpenAI).
- The company itself acknowledges the need to trim “overlapping corporate functions, non-strategic international operations, and lower margin product lines” as they pivot toward hyperscale cloud/AI.
- With around 160,000 + employees globally and rapidly changing business priorities, Oracle appears to be using workforce cuts as a lever for organisational redesign rather than purely cost-cutting. CIO+1
Implications & value-points
- For employees: The Oracle case underlines that even big, established tech firms are vulnerable when strategic emphasis shifts. Roles tied to legacy product lines, global support operations or slower-growth units may be at risk even in thriving companies.
- For companies: When layoffs are framed as part of a strategic repositioning (rather than just “we need to save money”), the workforce change often signals big shifts: business model, priorities, geographies, and growth bets. Oracle’s focus on AI-cloud is exactly that type of shift.
- For the tech sector: The cuts illuminate a clear pattern in 2025 — the movement away from traditional software/support models toward AI/cloud infrastructure. Oracle is shedding parts of its business that don’t map to that future, while investing heavily in areas it believes will dominate.
- For policy/labour markets: Oracle’s global footprint means the impact is distributed: from U.S. engineering hubs to Indian development centres. Workers globally must increasingly consider how aligned their skills and roles are with the strategic future of their employer.
- Value lesson: When a large tech-company formally signals “we will cut X thousand jobs” and concurrently announces a heavy investment in a new strategic domain (in Oracle’s case, AI/cloud), it’s not simply a cost-cutting exercise, it’s a portfolio transformation. For stakeholders (employees, investors, partners), understanding this nuance makes the difference between seeing layoffs as a one-off shock versus reading them as signals of deeper change.
– Novo Nordisk A/S — ~9,000 job cuts globally, ~5,000 in Denmark
Latest updates:
Novo Nordisk announced in September 2025 that it will cut around 9,000 jobs globally, representing about 11.5 % of its workforce. Roughly 5,000 of those cuts will occur in its home country Denmark. These cuts are already in motion: layoff waves have hit manufacturing and production roles in Denmark, and recently begun in the U.S. as well.
Triggers & rationale:
- Novo faces intense competition in the obesity and diabetes treatment market, particularly from U.S. rival Eli Lilly and Company (with its Mounjaro and Zepbound drugs) — which is eroding growth momentum for Novo’s blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy.
- The company’s new CEO (appointed August 2025) has initiated this restructuring as part of a broad transformation: simplify organisation, speed up decision-making, and free up resources for core growth areas (diabetes & obesity).
- The company estimates savings of about DKK 8 billion (≈ US$1.25 billion) annually by the end of 2026 as a result of the restructuring.
Implications & value point:
- For employees: large job cuts in a major pharmaceutical company highlight that even high-growth sectors (diabetes/obesity) are not immune when competitive pressure and cost structures bite.
- For the pharma industry: the case emphasises that business model disruption (e.g., coming generic drugs, rival therapies) forces even market leaders to restructure workforce and operations.
- For communities (especially in Denmark): with ~5,000 jobs being cut domestically, the regional and cluster impact will be substantial (many jobs tied to Novo’s facilities). One article noted the town “Novo Town” (Kalundborg) is bracing for the blow.
- Value lesson: A 9,000-job layoff announcement in pharma is not just cost-cutting; it signals the company sees less growth, more competition, and the need for leaner operations going forward.
📰 Sources
- White House – Implementing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Workforce Optimization Initiative
- Wikipedia – 2025 United States Federal Mass Layoffs
- Le Monde – DOGE’s Impact: Small Savings but a Weakening of the Federal Government
- GovExec – Project 2025 Wanted to Hobble the Federal Workforce. DOGE Has Hastily Done That and More
- Wikipedia – Executive Order 14151
- Business Insider – Recent Company Layoffs: Who’s Laying Off Workers in 2025
- Carrier Management – GEICO Job Cuts Announced at Berkshire Hathaway’s Annual Meeting
- AInvest – GEICO Cuts Workforce by 60% to Save $20 Billion Annually
- Windows Central – Intel Plans to Lay Off 24,000 Employees in 2025
- CRN – Intel’s Earnings Bombshell: Layoffs, Foundry Warnings, and More
- The Verge – Intel to Leave Germany, Poland, Costa Rica Amid Job Cuts
- Reuters – Intel Is Cutting More Jobs as CEO Lip-Bu Tan Tries to Fix Manufacturing Missteps
- Microsoft lays off about 3% of its workforce in what one executive calls a ‘day with a lot of tears’ – AP News
- https://www.reuters.com/business/nestle-reports-better-than-expected-sales-growth-with-new-ceo-helm-2025-10-16/
- Microsoft Layoffs in 2025 to Eliminate 6,000 Workers – The HR Digest
- Tech Layoffs 2025: Microsoft cuts 9,000 employees – TechCrunch
- Panasonic to cut 10,000 jobs, expects $900 million in restructuring costs – Reuters
- Wegovy-maker Novo Nordisk to slash 9,000 jobs as competition heats up – Reuters
- Strong Danish economy can ride out Novo Nordisk downturn, minister says – Reuters
- Chevron to lay off 15–20% of its global workforce – Reuters
- Chevron cutting 15–20% of jobs, aiming to save $3 billion – AllWork.Space
- Nissan sets the stage for change with the bold Re:Nissan plan – Nissan Global News
- Nissan announces new cost-saving measures, 20,000 job cuts globally – Reuters
- Bloomberg – Oracle quietly cuts thousands in OCI and cloud divisions as focus shifts to AI
- Fortune – Oracle layoffs expand globally as company pivots to AI cloud services
- Reuters – Oracle cuts over 3,000 jobs as part of ongoing restructuring
