Horrifying Jan 2026 For Jobs: What’s Happening?

2026 could not have started on any worse note as January has started to record a significant number of layoffs as leading companies have started to fire employees, left right and centre.

January 2026 layoffs are drawing attention across industries, but the numbers need careful context rather than headline shock.

Amazon has announced a fresh round of about 16,000 corporate job cuts in January 2026. This comes after nearly 14,000 roles were eliminated in late 2025. Taken together, Amazon has reduced close to 30,000 corporate positions over the past few months, reflecting tighter cost controls after years of rapid expansion.

Intel’s situation is more severe. The company has confirmed plans to cut around 24,000 jobs globally, nearly 20 percent of its workforce. While these reductions span 2025 and early 2026, they underline Intel’s struggle to restructure amid intense competition in the AI and semiconductor space.

UPS is also reshaping its workforce. In 2025, the company cut nearly 48,000 jobs as part of network consolidation and efficiency drives. For 2026, UPS has signaled additional reductions of up to 30,000 roles, largely linked to automation and reduced dependence on Amazon shipments.

Tyson Foods has announced layoffs tied to plant closures. The largest impact came from the closure of its Nebraska beef plant, affecting about 3,200 workers. When combined with smaller shutdowns elsewhere, total job losses linked to recent restructuring approach 4,900.

Meta, meanwhile, is cutting roughly 1,500 jobs, mainly within its Reality Labs division, as it reallocates resources toward artificial intelligence and core platforms.

It is strange to see so many global companies with a huge Market index in firing employees at such an elevated pace as this was not what was expected in the first place.