Tech Industry Job Cuts in Silicon Valley: An Overview of the Situation
By The tech industry in Silicon Valley is facing multiple rounds of job cuts, with no sign of respite anytime soon. According to Layoffs.fyi, a website that tracks job cuts in the sector, more than 216,000 tech employees have been laid off since the start of 2022.[0] The total number of layoffs in the tech industry is expected to reach more than 2.5 lakh globally by the end of the year.
Microsoft, Amazon, Intel, Twitter, Salesforce, PayPal, RingCentral and Zymergen are among the companies that have announced job cuts recently.[1] In the Bay Area, tech and biotech companies have revealed plans to erase about 400 more jobs, bringing the total number of job cuts in the region to 20,000.[2]
The pandemic was a bonanza for tech, with many companies scaling up hiring considerably.[3] However, as the health crisis has moderated, companies have had to recalibrate and reduce their workforces. Zoom declared that it will be reducing 15% of its staff, likely due to the return to in-person work and the growth of other video conferencing options integrated with services like Microsoft Teams.[4]
Silicon Valley still holds an outsized share of the state’s economy and employment, and tech giants like Apple, Google parent Alphabet and Facebook parent Meta still employ 19% of Silicon Valley's workers.[5] Even so, the job cuts represent a small fraction of Silicon Valley employment and don't come close to reversing the job gains of the last two years.[6]
In addition to job cuts, the pandemic has shifted the way people work, with the percentage of remote workers in Silicon Valley rising to 35% from 28% in 2021 and just 6% in 2019.[7] This is the highest percentage of remote workers of any region in the country.[6]
Overall, the tech industry has still grown at nearly twice the rate of over-all employment in the region.[8] However, inequality appears to have gotten worse, with the top 0.001% of households in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties holding an estimated 4% of the collective wealth, and the top 1% of households holding about 37% of the wealth.[7]
The future of tech layoffs remains uncertain, but hopefully, mass layoffs won't become a trend.[9] As long as layoffs remain limited to a small portion of the workforce, stimulus checks should not be necessary.[9]
0. “Tech Giants Continue Layoffs: Will the Broader IT Market Finally Slow?” InformationWeek, 15 Feb. 2023, https://www.informationweek.com/strategic-cio/tech-giants-continue-layoffs-will-the-broader-it-market-finally-slow-
1. “Tech, biotech firms in unabated layoff binge” Bizz Buzz, 14 Feb. 2023, https://www.bizzbuzz.news/industry/infotech/tech-biotech-firms-in-unabated-layoff-binge-1198111
2. “Tech companies plan fresh layoffs in Silicon Valley” Greatandhra, 14 Feb. 2023, https://www.greatandhra.com/articles/special-articles/tech-companies-plan-fresh-layoffs-in-silicon-valley-127258
3. “Fresh waves of tech layoffs will erase hundreds more Bay Area jobs” The Mercury News, 14 Feb. 2023, https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/02/14/tech-job-layoff-palo-alto-san-ramon-san-francisco-economy-sap-twilio/
4. “Tech layoffs: what's really going on?” DIGIT.FYI, 16 Feb. 2023, https://www.digit.fyi/big-tech-layoffs-what-you-need-to-know
5. “What layoffs? Wealth of Silicon Valley's eight billionaires tops 50% of households” Moneycontrol, 16 Feb. 2023, https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/what-layoffs-silicon-valleys-eight-billionaires-own-over-50-of-households-10101801.html
6. “State of the Valley report for 2023 shows region in state of ‘flux' – Silicon Valley Business Journal” The Business Journals, 15 Feb. 2023, https://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2023/02/15/p4-cover-state-of-the-valley.html
7. “Booms and busts: Silicon Valley economy divided – San José Spotlight” San José Spotlight, 14 Feb. 2023, https://sanjosespotlight.com/booms-and-busts-silicon-valley-santa-clara-county-san-jose-economy-divided/
8. “What Layoffs? Data Shows Silicon Valley Is More Boom Than Bust” CNET, 15 Feb. 2023, https://www.cnet.com/culture/what-layoffs-data-shows-silicon-valley-is-more-boom-than-bust
9. “Stimulus Update: Are All of These Layoffs an Indicator That Stimulus Aid Is on the Way?” The Motley Fool, 14 Feb. 2023, https://www.fool.com/the-ascent/personal-finance/articles/stimulus-update-are-all-of-these-layoffs-an-indicator-that-stimulus-aid-is-on-the-way
