Managing Your Career During Layoffs

Stealth layoffs aren't just another corporate trend. They're the new normal. The trend I have started to notice: → Workday: 1,750 cuts for AI push → Dell: 25,000 cuts over two years → Autodesk: 9% cut amid "sales changes" → HPE: 5% cuts through "expected attrition" → Meta: Fired top performers despite claims → Google: Switched to quiet monthly reductions Despite record profits, headcount growth across these companies remains stagnant or shrinking. Traditional mass layoffs are being replaced by a more calculated approach. The new playbook is nearly invisible: → Performance reviews target even top performers → Gradual reduction through attrition and hiring freezes → RTO mandates designed to drive voluntary departures → Restructuring justified as "investing in AI" (Workday) Multiple strategies now run in parallel: → Expanding "span of control" (more direct reports) → Increasing technical-to-non-technical staff ratios → Strategic office closures and "space consolidation" → Cuts spread across quarters, not single events The impact goes far beyond headcount. When organizations flatten, everything changes: → Same output is expected from fewer employees → Institutional memory erodes with each departure → Decision-making concentrates among fewer people → Career paths narrow as management layers disappear For employees, navigating this change requires strategy. Here's how to build resilience: → Upskill aggressively: Focus on high-growth areas → Build cross-functional visibility: Network widely → Understand the metrics: Know your company targets → Maintain financial readiness: Build emergency funds → Manage your mindset: Don't let fear drive decisions The goal isn't surviving the next cut. It's positioning yourself to thrive regardless of organizational shifts. What we're witnessing isn't another corporate cost-cutting strategy; it's the fundamental rewiring of the employer-employee relationship. Those who recognize this shift will not just survive; they'll define success on your own terms

A couple of weeks ago I received a distressing call from an old colleague whose well-funded and well backed employer shutdown overnight. As she shared the news of over 350 stranded employees, it dawned on me that this is the same story across so many organisations & startups. God forbid, that this happens with anyone , here are some insights on what to do in the first few days after suddenly losing your job. Here are 9 essential points to consider: 🔥 TAKE A MOMENT TO ABSORB THE NEWS: It's natural to feel shaken and upset. Allow yourself time to process the situation and acknowledge your emotions before taking action. 🔥 ASSESS YOUR FINANCIAL STANDING: Sit down with your spouse/partner and evaluate your financial situation. Take stock of loans, EMIs, and your inflow of funds. Determine how much liquid savings you have and calculate your runway—knowing how long you can manage without income can alleviate some pressure. 🔥 COMPILE A LIST OF CONTACTS: Create an Excel sheet with the names and details of colleagues, bosses, and professional acquaintances who can provide referrals or job leads. Treat it as you would a sales prospect list—networking is crucial during this period. 🔥 AVOID IMPULSIVE DECISIONS: While the urgency to find a new job may be overwhelming, it's essential not to jump at the first opportunity that comes your way. Exercise patience and wait for the right opportunity that aligns with your goals and aspirations. 🔥 EVALUATE BUSINESS IDEAS: Use this transitional period to work on that business idea you've always wanted to pursue. Evaluate its feasibility and potential, and consider whether entrepreneurship is a path you'd like to explore further. 🔥 FREELANCING OR CONSULTING: While searching for a job, consider freelancing or offering consulting services to generate income in the meantime. Leverage your skills and expertise to provide value to clients and keep the cash flow steady. 🔥 EXPLORE UPSKILLING & ENHANCING YOUR KNOWLEDGE: Take advantage of the downtime to invest in self-improvement. Identify areas for professional development, enroll in online courses, attend webinars, or acquire certifications to bolster your skill set. 🔥 MAINTAIN A ROUTINE: Establish a daily routine that includes job searching, networking, skill-building, and self-care activities. Structure and consistency can help maintain focus and motivation during this challenging period. 🔥 SEEK GUIDANCE: Don't hesitate to seek professional career counseling or guidance from experts in your field. They can offer insights, strategies, and support to navigate the job market effectively. Remember, losing a job can be disheartening, but with the right mindset, resilience, and proactive approach, you can transform this setback into an opportunity for personal and professional growth. Stay positive, keep moving forward, and trust that new doors will open along the way. #SamparkSeSampark #JobLoss #Career #Resilience #startups #business

Is AI killing jobs? The headlines say yes. The data says something else entirely. Over the past year, we've been told AI is behind mass layoffs. But when you look at the research from The Brookings Institution, The Budget Lab at Yale, and Stanford's Nick Bloom, the answer is clear: AI directly caused very few job losses in 2025. Every time a company attributes layoffs to AI, Molly Kinder at Brookings is skeptical: "Our best labor market data show that we’re really actually not seeing much of an impact on the labor force.” My newsletter this week dives into the real drivers behind "AI layoffs": 🎯 Fear as motivation: CEOs tie layoffs to AI to push remaining employees to adopt the technology faster, according to Fortune's Diane Brady 💰 Wall Street signaling: Companies mention AI to signal efficiency, even when they're just cutting costs to hit quarterly earnings 😨 CEO job security: 50% of CEOs believe keeping their job depends on getting AI right by 2026, according to Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Then there's the Big Tech companies making the tools, where layoffs are needed to hit quarterly earnings. Their layoffs also serve as marketing: we're doing it, so can you. Want more? In a survey of 1,006 executives by Tom Davenport and Laks Srinivasan: 🔺 60% made headcount cuts in anticipation of AI 🔺 29% froze hiring on the anticipation of future AI impacts 🔺 Only 2% made cuts due to actual AI implementation But what about Erik Brynjolfsson's paper, showing new college grads, especially in engineering, CS and content, being impacted? New work by  Zanna Iscenko and Fabien Curto Millet points to major flaws in that study. We're in a zone of command-and-control resurgence, a hyper-focus on efficiency for the third year. While AI can and will transform organizations, the question is whether fear and efficiency alone lead to long term success. We're seeing where that focus is taking the economy: Declining consumer confidence, frozen hiring, and a potential recession driven more by hype than reality. There is an alternate path: Focus on growth, not just efficiency. The data backs it up: PwC found more companies are successful when they use AI to drive revenue growth (29%) than cost cuts (26%). Even better, 20% of companies are hitting "efficient growth": revenue up, costs flat. The choice is yours: Follow the herd into efficiency theater, or lead with transformation that's as much about your people as your profits. 📎 Tons of data and full analysis in my latest newsletter, and check out Samantha Fields reporting, link in comments. What's driving AI decisions at your organization: data or headlines? #Layoffs #AI

This week, 14,000 people were laid off at Amazon. Behind that number are 14,000 stories. The parents providing for families. The first-gen professionals who fought hard to get into corporate spaces. People who showed up early, stayed late, built products, supported teams, and gave their best. The dreamers who left everything behind to build a better future. My heart goes out to all of you. To help, here are some things you can do once you’re ready to start your new search: - Take a breath and grieve - Update your story: Refresh your resume and LinkedIn to highlight your wins and the awesome things you’ve done - Ask for help: Reach out to mentors, former coworkers, or this community. Nothing wrong in asking. - Focus on progress, not perfection. Whether it’s learning a new skill, networking weekly, or just staying consistent, small steps add up. - Take a side gig while you’re at it: Bills will need to be paid and so do what you can with what you have. Resources and places to save for your next opportunity: - LinkedIn Jobs – use the “Actively Hiring” filter to find companies still hiring - Levels.fyi – see listings across major companies with compensation insights - Layoffs.fyi – track layoffs and find companies currently hiring - Coursera Free Courses – career certificates from Google, Meta, and IBM - Grow with Google – free resources to learn digital skills and explore new career paths - LinkedIn Learning Free Trial – access thousands of professional development courses For everyone else: How can we can help? Here are some ways: 1. Share your network. If you know someone affected, tag them (with permission), connect them to recruiters, or share open roles. One introduction can truly change someone’s life. 2. Offer support. Help review a resume, offer LinkedIn feedback, or just be a listening ear. Sometimes, empathy matters more than advice. 3. Be empathetic. You never know what people are going through. To everyone impacted by the layoffs or that has been rejected recently, my heart is with you. If I can help review your profile, make an intro, or just listen, my DMs are open. Let’s do this. We’re in this, together. #StephSynergy

I start every morning assuming today could be the day I get let go 13 years ago, I was laid off. My wife was living on a graduate student stipend, and we were in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which is a brutal place to be financially unprepared. I had no plan. No next step. I was completely caught off guard. That experience rewired me. I promised myself I would never be surprised by job loss again. We have now had a 3-year crash course reminder: if a company believes cutting you reduces costs or protects the business, they will do it - quickly. The decision will not be sentimental. The sooner we accept this, the sooner we can prepare for it. What still surprises me is how many people treat career stability as something you focus on only after the crisis hits. People wait until they are unemployed to build relationships, reconnect with their network, or scan the market. But once the floor drops out, you are already behind. I usually share this with members of our community who have already been impacted. But today it is also for the people who still have a role. If you do not already operate this way, I strongly suggest adopting this posture: Assume job loss is always a possibility. This is not a "tactic." It is reality. Prepare for it mentally. It does not remove the sadness, but it can reduce the shock. Ask yourself: if it happened tomorrow, would I be ready? A few questions make this clear: Do I have a plan for the next six months, one year, or 18 months? Have I spent years building relationships I could tap for advice or help? Am I tracking roles so I understand the market and can spot better options? An employer can remove you at any time without regret. So why would you not do everything possible to protect your wellbeing? Forget applying to things cold. That is off the table as a consistently reliable path. For me, preparation is mandatory. Outside of my day job, I keep an active list of relationships I care about and invest time in those connections. This is not transactional. It is about being genuine with people I appreciate, and making sure they know I am there for them too. In parallel, I maintain an evolving list of organizations where I believe I could thrive if I needed a new home. Career readiness is not something you start when things get scary. It should be built into your life. That is how you stay resilient in an industry where change is inevitable. I have met brilliant, high character people who were laid off with no warning. I have ZERO illusion I am immune. I could be next. But I committed to never being unprepared again, and I hope you do too. Do not wait. When a company decides, you may not have the time you think you do. If I ever reach out to you, I hope you already have your A list, your B list, and your C list ready to go, especially if still employed. This approach has helped me only experience unemployment once in 44 years, even if it sounds eccentric or stressful. I want it to serve you too.

Who said "no hire, no fire" labor market? Look at this chart and tell me where the "no fire" part is. This is the 12-month moving total of layoffs in Finance, Insurance, Information, and Professional & Business Services — what I call the FIIPB sector. Layoffs have climbed from a post-pandemic trough around 4.7 million to roughly 6.4 million. The line is still pointing up. We're now well above the pre-pandemic norm. That is not a frozen labor market. That's firing. Why do I keep coming back to FIIPB? Because it's the office economy most exposed to AI. Roughly 35 million workers doing cognitive, screen-based work — underwriting, consulting, legal support, accounting, back-office admin, marketing, analysis. It is exactly the part of the labor market most affected by generative AI and the longer arc of workflow automation. And the number of jobs in this sector has been shrinking since late 2022. Layoffs are the sharper edge of the same story. A hiring freeze plus attrition can shrink headcount quietly. But when the layoff series itself climbs this persistently, firms aren't just waiting it out — they're actively resizing. So who is the "no hire, no fire" story actually describing? The economy in aggregate, and mostly the sectors where AI exposure is low. For the office economy, it's a different picture. Hiring is weak — and firing is rising. When someone tells you this is a frozen labor market, ask them which labor market they mean. #layoffs #Labormarkets #Tech #AI #Careers #futureofwork

The Job Market right now is brutal... Last month I wrote a post that got a lot of attention on what I would do I lost or left my job today. Hundreds of you all shared your reflections, advice, frustrations, and coping strategies for navigating career transitions in the comments. So here’s Part Two... a crowd-sourced sequel, built from your insights and experiences. If you missed the first post, it’s linked in the comments. If I lost (or left) my job tomorrow… and had to rebuild again… here are 7 more things I’d do (this time, sourced from you): 1. Rest. Seriously. As so many people reminded me, you can’t job-search on an empty tank. Sleep. Move your body. Get outside. Take a walk without headphones. It’s not wasted time... it’s recovery. 2. Process the Grief. Job loss isn’t just logistical, it’s emotional. It can mess with your sense of worth and routine. Therapy, journaling, or simply talking with friends helps keep that perspective: the layoff isn’t personal, even if it feels that way. 3. Volunteer or Give Back. A number of you said this was the game-changer. It keeps your skills fresh, expands your network, and reminds you you’re still useful. Teaching, mentoring, community clean-ups, pro bono consulting -- all count. 4. Reflect Before You React. Don’t rush into 100 applications. Take a beat to ask: what actually fits my life now? What kind of people, pace, or purpose am I looking for? As one commenter said: read the market before reacting to it. 5. Rehearse Your Story. Practice talking about your transition with clarity and confidence. People want to help, but you have to help them help you. Rehearse the story you’ll tell ... one that’s forward-looking, honest, and hopeful. 6. Experiment and Build. Start that small consulting project, side hustle, or creative outlet. It doesn’t have to become your next full-time thing, but it might. Treat it as a low-stakes lab for learning, momentum, and confidence. 7. Find (and Be) a Support System. Friends. Family. Former coworkers. Coaches. Fellow job seekers. The comment section themselves became a kind of group therapy thread... proof that community matters more than ever. None of this fixes the broken systems -- but it does make the process less lonely. If you’re currently in transition, what’s been helping you? What would you add? Sharing is CARING.

If I got laid off today here's what I'd do: First, I'd breathe. Just breathe. For 24 hours, I'd let myself feel it all. The shock, the anger, the fear. Then I'd get to work: 1. Refresh my resume. Achievements over responsibilities. Stats. Results over tasks. 2. Same with my LinkedIn profile. Update, refresh. Highlight accomplishments and measurable impacts. 3. Reach out to people in my network. Not with "I need a job" messages, but with genuine reconnections. On LinkedIn and any other communities. 4. Build in public. Share my journey, what I'm learning, the wins and the struggles. 5. Avoid wasting time on job boards. I'd find decision-makers and build relationships instead. 6. Protect my mental health. Fiercely. Morning routines. Exercise. Time blocks for applications and networking, with clear boundaries. And, most importantly: I’d put a post-it note somewhere visible to remind myself MY WORTH ISN’T TIED TO MY EMPLOYMENT STATUS. I know this path intimately. Both from personal experience and from guiding hundreds through it. The toughest part of being laid off isn't the job loss. It's the identity crisis that follows. But sometimes your greatest career breakthrough is on the other side of what feels like failure. It was for me. What would you add to this list? What helped you bounce back from a career setback?

If you were impacted by layoffs, some kind advice to keep in mind - 1. Get off of LinkedIn for a few days if you can. There’s nothing good here for you in the immediate term. Update your network if you want then take some time and space for yourself. 2. You are going to grieve. Yes, even if you secretly (or openly) hated your job, you’ve experienced a loss. Your feelings will likely be similar to going through a breakup. Be kind to yourself. 3. I know it’s hard to feel safe without another role lined up, but this market is very difficult right now, so plan for your job search to be taxing. Do whatever self care you need prior to and during the job search to keep it sustainable. 4. If I told you that you’re 6-8 months away from finding the perfect job, how would you show up differently? Would you feel less anxious? An abundance mindset will help you find solace in the immediate term so you can put your best foot forward as you move on.

Lost Your Job? Think of It as a New Beginning.?? Seeing posts about layoffs from big companies like Amazon can feel scary. For many people, it’s not just news—it’s a big shock and a hard time. If you or someone you know has lost a job, remember this: ➔➔It’s okay to feel sad or afraid. ➔➔This is not your failure. It’s just a pause, a chance to start again. And maybe this is the right time to learn new things and move toward the future of work, especially with AI and technology growing fast. Here are 20 simple steps, divided into three stages, to help you recover and move ahead with confidence: ≫ I. Process & Heal (First Week) 1. Take 1–2 days to relax and calm down. Don’t rush. 2. Make a simple daily plan—include time for job search, learning, and some exercise. 3. Talk to friends or share your story online. Being honest helps you connect with others. 4. Rest properly. A fresh mind gives better ideas and confidence. ≫ II. Prepare & Rebuild (Next Few Weeks) 5. Update your LinkedIn and resume. Add numbers to show your achievements. 6. Decide what kind of job you really want next. 7. Talk to mentors or old colleagues. Networking is better than just sending random job applications. 8. Use November and December to get ready. Companies start hiring more in January (Q1). 9. Add the right keywords on LinkedIn so recruiters can find you easily. 10. Focus on companies that are still hiring or growing even now. ≫ III. Upskill & Pivot (Build Your Future) 11. Learn new skills—especially in AI, automation, and data. These are in high demand. 12. Share your learning journey on LinkedIn or social media. Show you are growing. 13. Read, comment, and post online about your field. It helps people notice your expertise. 14. Look for new roles or industries where your skills can still fit. 15. Improve soft skills like communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. 16. Try freelance or part-time projects to stay active and earn while you search. 17. Keep learning every week—stay curious! 18. Check your progress every week. Even small wins count. 19. Don’t lose hope—every step is taking you forward. 20. Remember: This is not just about getting another job—it’s about creating your next chapter. A layoff can be a blessing in disguise. Let’s use this moment to grow, learn, and build something even better. #Amazon #Layoffs #bounceback