Global layoffs surge as 87% of HR leaders cut jobs in 2025

CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES — Layoffs have become the defining workforce story of 2025, with 87% of HR leaders worldwide reporting that their companies have already cut jobs or are planning to do so this year, according to a survey released by LHH, a business unit of the Adecco Group. 

According to a press release, the figure marks a sharp rise from 73% in 2024 and 77% in 2023, signaling that workforce reductions are accelerating even as employers grapple with rising rehiring costs and mounting anxiety across their ranks.

The survey polled 8,003 white-collar workers and 3,000 HR leaders at companies with more than 500 employees across the United States, Canada, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, France, Brazil and Australia. It found that 39% of HR leaders have already cut roles and expect further reductions ahead.

Redeployment emerges as cost-saving alternative

Even as layoffs spread, few companies appear to measure what the cuts actually cost them. Only 32% of employers track cost savings tied to redeployment strategies, and just 30% track the number of redeployments. 

Among the 62% of companies that do track rehiring costs, nearly three-quarters said rehiring is more expensive than redeploying existing talent.

A perception gap is also widening. While 77% of HR leaders said they offer targeted redeployment and mobility programs, only 19% of workers recognize them.

“Layoffs are a necessary part of how organizations adapt,” John Morgan, president of career transition mobility at LHH, said in a press release. 

He added that the real question is whether companies have the infrastructure to identify which workers to redeploy for future needs and which to support through outplacement.

Skills-driven layoffs reshape the future workforce

The nature of layoffs is also shifting. In 2025, 41% of HR leaders said workforce reductions were linked to right-skilling efforts, nearly double the share who cited skills as a driver in 2023. 

Another 37% pointed to continuous market and business change — a reflection of how rapidly the future of work is being rewritten by automation, AI adoption and evolving skills demands.

The human cost is becoming harder to ignore. Seventy-three percent of workers said they witnessed job losses on their team in the past year, with 30% reporting heavier workloads and 25% flagging diminished trust in leadership.

HR leaders themselves are not immune. Sixty-four percent said ongoing restructuring is affecting their well-being, while 56% of workers worry their skills may no longer be relevant.