Tech Layoffs: India’s technology sector has seen two of its most significant workforce reductions in two consecutive years. US-based IT firm Oracle’s 2026 layoffs stand out as a sudden, single-day event,
while Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) carried out India’s largest annual workforce reduction in a gradual, policy-driven manner through 2025-26.
Oracle Layoffs 2026: A single-day shock
On March 31, 2026, Oracle initiated a sweeping round of layoffs across geographies, including India, the US, Canada, and Mexico. Employees reported receiving termination emails around 6 am, with system access revoked soon after.
In India, around 12,000 employees are believed to have been laid off, impacted employees said on Tuesday. Oracle has not officially confirmed the number.
Globally, estimates suggest 20,000 to 30,000 jobs could be cut, making it one of the largest restructuring exercises in the company’s history.
“In India, around 12,000 employees have been laid off. The company is planning another mass layoff within a month,” said two people impacted by the retrenchment, including one from the company’s human resource department, as reported by PTI.
The company has approximately 30,000 employees in India, including those affected by the layoffs.
The layoffs spanned multiple roles, from engineering and architecture to programme management and operations. Several employees said the move was not linked to performance, but part of a broader restructuring.
The timing is notable. Oracle is not under revenue stress. It recently reported a sharp rise in profits. However, the tech giant is making a capital-intensive push into AI infrastructure, including data centres and high-performance computing. The company has outlined a multi-billion-dollar restructuring plan as part of this shift.
Another round of layoffs is expected within weeks, according to reports.
TCS Layoffs 2025: India’s largest annual IT workforce reduction
In contrast, Tata Consultancy Services undertook layoffs in a staggered manner. The company announced it would reduce over 12,000 jobs by March 2026, around 2% of its workforce, marking the largest workforce reduction in its history.
The cuts were not executed in a single instance. Instead, they were spread across the financial year through a tighter bench policy and redeployment process.
Under revised rules implemented in 2025, employees were required to maintain a minimum number of billable days annually, with strict limits on time spent without projects. Those unable to meet these thresholds or be redeployed were asked to exit. The layoffs largely affected mid- and senior-level employees.
CEO K Krithivasan described the decision as one of the toughest decisions for him, stating that the move was aimed at making the company more agile, even as he acknowledged that redeployment efforts had not worked for all roles.
The decision also drew regulatory attention. The labour ministry sought an explanation from the company following complaints by employee groups, which alleged forced exits and violations of labour norms.
According to layoffs.fyi, 78 tech companies have laid off 41,447 employees in 2026 so far globally. In the previous year 2025, 271 tech firms had sacked 1,24,201 employees.
