A report cited by NDTV says AI-related technology layoffs accelerate in the first half of 2026 compared with all of 2025. By July 1, 2026, layoffs worldwide involving AI-linked roles reach about 1.28 lakh employees. This figure is slightly higher than the roughly 1.25 lakh layoffs recorded across the entire year of 2025, indicating an overall increase in the pace of job cuts within the same broad category.
The report also places India among the hardest hit, stating that India is the second-worst affected country in the dataset used. While the sources provided do not specify the primary companies involved, the regional breakdown beyond India’s position, or the reasons cited by employers, the overall takeaway is that AI-related layoffs are running ahead of last year’s totals by mid-year.
All figures mentioned are presented as counts of affected employees and relate specifically to layoffs linked to AI-related technology work.
