Redundancies cut deep in 2026

The number of companies implementing global layoffs in the first half of 2026 has dropped by a significant 58 per cent compared to the same time last year - but the cuts in individual organisations have been deep meaning, overall, job losses have barely fallen.

An analysis by BioSpace has put the number of redundancies in the first half of this year at 14,427 - a smidgen lower than 14,715 job losses in the first six months of 2025.

The global workforce downsizing is mostly due to significant job cuts at just three companies. Takeda is shedding 4,743 roles, Viatris up to 3,000 and BioNTech about 1,860 - altogether more than 9600 jobs. BioSpace said in the first half of 2025, 131 companies laid off staff compared to just 55 in H1 2026.