As the year 2025 progresses, several global brands or companies have announced significant layoffs, reflecting broader economic pressures, technological shifts, and strategic restructurings.
From tech giants to retail and automotive sectors, here are five major companies that have reduced their workforces this year, impacting thousands of employees worldwide:
READ ALSO: Sergey Brin: Google Boss Pays $700 Million In Shares To Key Beneficiaries
RELATED STORIES
1. Microsoft
Microsoft, a tech behemoth, kicked off 2025 with substantial layoffs, cutting around 6,000 jobs, representing approximately 3 percent of its global workforce. The company announced these reductions on May 13, aiming to flatten its management structure and prioritize engineering talent over administrative roles.
This move comes amid slowing revenue growth and a push to adapt to AI-driven changes in the tech landscape. Affected departments span multiple geographies, with nearly 2,000 employees in Washington state alone losing their jobs.
READ ALSO: Black Owned Venture Capital Firm Secures $21M to Support Start-Ups
Microsoft’s cuts are part of a larger trend in the tech sector, which has seen over 76,000 layoffs across 326 companies this year, averaging 513 job losses per day.
2. Amazon
Amazon, another tech giant, also trimmed its workforce in 2025, eliminating 100 roles in its Devices and Services division, which includes Alexa, Kindle, and Zoox. The layoffs, part of a broader cost-cutting effort, aim to streamline operations and align with product goals.
READ ALSO: New Online Marketplace Launched For Black Businesses
Amazon’s spokesperson emphasized that the company is supporting affected employees through their transitions. This follows previous cuts in 2024 across its Pixel, Android, Chrome, and cloud divisions, reflecting ongoing efforts to optimize its operating model after a massive 12,000-person layoff in 2023. The tech sector’s focus on efficiency and AI integration continues to drive such decisions.
3. Morgan Stanley
In the financial sector, Morgan Stanley announced plans to lay off 1,600 to 2,400 employees—about 2 percent to 3 percent of its global workforce—starting at the end of March 2025. The cuts, reported by Business Insider, are part of a cost-cutting strategy amid a challenging economic environment.
READ ALSO: Savannah James Ventures Into Skincare Product Manufacturing
While the firm has not officially confirmed the exact number, the layoffs are expected to affect various departments globally. Morgan Stanley’s move aligns with broader trends in finance, where companies like JPMorgan Chase and BlackRock have also announced job reductions in 2025, signaling a cautious approach to staffing amid market uncertainties.
4. Chevron
Oil giant Chevron revealed plans to reduce its global workforce by 15 percent to 20 percent by the end of 2026, potentially affecting up to 9,000 jobs. Based on its 2023 headcount of 45,600, this significant cut aims to save $2 to $3 billion by simplifying the company’s structure and enhancing long-term competitiveness.
READ ALSO: Black Celebrities Leading the Charge in America’s Food Industry
The layoffs are tied to Chevron’s acquisition of Hess, which is currently delayed by legal challenges. The company’s spokesperson emphasized that these measures are necessary to execute faster and more effectively in a volatile energy market, following similar cost-cutting moves by other oil and gas firms like BP.
5. General Motors (GM)
General Motors paused production of the Cadillac XT4 in Kansas after January 2025, resulting in the layoff of 1,200 production employees until production resumes in late 2025 for both the Bolt EV and XT4. This decision, announced earlier in May, reflects GM’s strategic adjustments amid shifting market demands and economic pressures.
READ ALSO: Ford: Car Manufacturer Recalls 274,000 Navigator And Expedition SUVs
The automotive sector has faced significant challenges this year, with over 48,000 jobs cut in 2024 alone, and GM’s layoffs add to the industry’s ongoing restructuring efforts as it navigates the transition to electric vehicles and fluctuating consumer demand.
