Every big tech layoff since 2022,and where the jobs went.

78%

of tech hiring managers plan to add permanent staff in the second half of 2026

Tech hiring plans jumped 17 points since January

In Robert Half's mid-year survey, 78% of tech leaders said they'll grow permanent headcount before the year's out. In January it was 61%. Two thirds are also bringing in more contractors. Before you get excited, look at who they're after: mostly experienced specialists.

Robert Half, 2026 Technology Hiring Trends · Aug 2026

+22%

more software developer job postings than at the May 2025 low

Software job postings have climbed for fifteen months

Indeed's index for software developer postings hit 74.4 in August (February 2020 is 100), up from 61.1 in May 2025. That's still about a quarter below where it was before the pandemic, and nowhere near the 2022 peak. But it's been going up the whole time the layoff headlines got louder.

Indeed Hiring Lab, US Labor Market Snapshot · Aug 24, 2026

56%

higher pay for roles that ask for AI skills

Jobs that ask for AI skills pay 56% more

PwC compared the same job titles with and without AI skills in the listing and found a 56% pay gap, up from 25% the year before. We've predicted this premium shrinks once everyone has the skill. So far we're wrong, and it's the biggest pay lever most tech workers have.

PwC, Global AI Jobs Barometer · Jun 2025

How bad are tech layoffs in 2026?

It depends on which count you look at, and we keep them apart on purpose. When we last checked Layoffs.fyi (September 10, 2026), its industry-wide count stood at 128,536 people across 299 tech companies. That's already past the 122,606 it counted for all of 2025. Our own tracker is smaller by design, because it only includes major events we can source one by one (the live numbers are on the tracker page). The biggest single event of 2026 in our data is Amazon, at 16,000 jobs. The makeup of the cuts has changed too. 39% of the people laid off this year worked at companies that pointed to AI, and most of the companies cutting are profitable, so we call this restructuring rather than distress. And layoffs are only half of it. Hiring intent and software postings both rose through 2026, which is why we publish the bright spots next to the cuts.

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Is anyone actually hiring in tech in 2026?

Yes, and more than the headlines would have you think. In Robert Half's survey, 78% of technology leaders plan to add permanent headcount in the second half of 2026, up from 61% at the start of the year. Indeed's software-development postings index is 22% above its May 2025 low, and 6.3% of all US job ads now mention AI, nearly double the 2022 peak. The demand is lopsided, though. Experienced specialists in AI/ML, data, security and platform work are doing best. Financial services and manufacturing are hiring more than big tech, and startups and mid-market software companies more than the giants. So we'd describe the market as sorting people more than shrinking. Our Opportunities page tracks where it's growing, with sources.

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Is the tech job market getting better or worse?

Both, depending on where you're standing, so be wary of anyone who sums it up in one mood. On the bad side, 2026 layoffs have already passed 2025's total, entry-level hiring is still depressed, generalist pay has come down from the 2022 peak, and AI is now the reason companies cite most often for cuts. On the good side, software postings have been climbing for more than a year, hiring intent is the highest it's been since 2022, the wage premium for AI skills has widened to 56%, and the AI labs, banks, manufacturers and health systems are all hiring more people than they let go. If you're an experienced specialist who's comfortable with AI, you're in a seller's market. If you're junior or a generalist, you'll probably need to reposition, and that's what our skills pages and the resilience calculator are for.

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