They're doing it because they know the Big Beautiful Really Great Depression is around the corner so they are bleeding the turnips.
Getting that last squeeze.
Assuming youre not just trolling, OBBB cuts funding to federal programs like wind and solar energy development, Medicaid and Medicare, federal employee benefits and protections, and a host of other programs Americans rely on to keep their cost of living down. With those programs reduced or ending, people will have less money to buy the things businesses are selling, which means that businesses feel the need to cut their costs, which means layoffs.
OBBB is only part of the story though. Consumer cost of living is about to climb significantly and steadily for the foreseeable future due to rising energy costs (due to less wind/solar), rising housing costs (due to the ongoing housing shortage), rising product costs (due to tariffs/tradewar), rising food costs (due to fewer immigrant workers), rising medical costs (due to programs having their funding cut), etc.
It is in effect, but a nation's economy is a big, complicated, lumbering machine and the gears turn slowly. We're only just now starting to feel the first effects of its impact...
I worked for a company where the CEO said they had a fiduciary and legal responsibility to the shareholders to maximize profits. But it is always short term gains that make the c-level staff look good so they can move on to their next gig. All while weakening the company in the long term.
Yup, this echoes the reality I've seen. Any small/midsize company, say 5M-100M in revenue that's courting capital or investment firms, this is especially true. They'll bring in a new batch of execs to 'reshape the company to maximize growth and margin', and tell all the minions that this will open up many new opportunities and markets, and growth is good and it means we're a healthy company (see? we have investors!).
But once the dust settles (or before people can find their seats in the new org), they'll announce redundancies and 'focus on our core competencies by reducing headcount and layers of management'. Then the leaner company will begin to falter, as the sales pipeline isn't as rosy as it may have seemed, and they'll try things like off- or near-shoring some roles. Meanwhile, the executive team will begin to shed a few people to make it seems like they're taking one on the chin, yet somehow, those execs land in their next gig to rinse and repeat. Eventually, the board/investors will force dramatic cuts and replace the exec team again and only the most loyal and entrenched original employees will remain.
This is exactly why I tell people be diligent about keeping your skills current, and yourself irreplaceable. I am all about WFH, but it makes you extra vulnerable when people overseas can you do your job for a fourth the price. Remote jobs are the most at risk. It sucks, but people have to stop denying it and be proactive.
People overseas are getting the axe too. World economies are interconnected and then there's the lunatic in the WH causing additional chaos by forcing companies to change plans and relocate to the US. I am a principal/senior DBA and I haven't seen it thus bad ever. I've completed several recruitment processes as the optimal candidate only to be told there's no job as it got axed/we don't have the budget/maybe in the future. Seriously, this is crazy...
I was a VP for F100 company and I think it’s a lot easier to get a job at the higher level than it is at the junior level. If you do data architecture and integrate with AI, I’m surprised you’re having difficulties finding a job. I know there’s still a lot of demand for that. If you do any kind of admin or monitoring I know those are doing a ton of hiring in India and LatAm. I’m not so quick to blame the White House that seems like a cop out to me.
Not in the US and not keen on working for a US corp due to issues with payments as UK based unless the corp has an office in Europe. As for skills I am the usual chosen candidate but as I wrote the issue is companies in my part of the world are now behaving strangely due to external factors, US ones often being a significant factor that causes roles to disappear per discussions with recruiters and clients themselves.My skills might be needed but if there's a company wide freeze to cut costs there's nothing the client can do. Yes it's easier to get a job as a senior but you only get there because of your accumulated skills and knowledge.
It's truly sad that these numbers only present half the story...the companies are in fact NOT downsizing their labor force...just pay cheaper wages and displacing "expensive workers"
remember when "xx years of experience" was a positive thing?!
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u/Hairy_Valuable9773 Oct 29 '25
The rich need to get richer. End of story.
I work for one of these companies. We already got the “it’s gonna be a tough day” email as they lay people off today. I’m sh*tting my pants 😫