List of companies laying off employees in February

Several companies have already announced impending layoffs for early 2026, and workers from the tech to retail sectors are set to be impacted.

According to the most recent WARNTracker information, Nordstrom Card Services is set to let go of between 11 and 15 employees in late February. But other companies are trimming their headcounts as well as artificial intelligence and market changes impact operations.

Why It Matters

Tech layoffs have been especially prevalent since 2022 when the industry course-corrected after massive hiring sprees during the coronavirus pandemic. 

However, as AI and economic pressures affect nearly all businesses in 2026, other industries will also likely experience layoffs as companies look to increase profits.

What To Know

The following companies have announced their layoffs set to hit in early 2026:

• Nordstrom Card Services
• UPS
• Amazon
• Meta
• Nike

UPS will be cutting 30,000 operational jobs in an attempt to limit its number of Amazon shipments and instead focus on more profitable areas of business like healthcare customers.

“This is a tactical move,” Chief Financial Officer Brian Dykes said during a call this week. “We did something similar last year in order to help us to right-size the position levels and the network infrastructure with the new volume and delivery levels.”

During the first half of the year, 24 UPS buildings are also set to close.

In the tech world, Amazon said on January 28 that it’s getting rid of 16,000 jobs. This decision follows a prior move to get rid of 14,000 white collar jobs last October.

Meta, meanwhile, will be letting more than 1,000 employees go from its Reality Labs division, and Pinterest will be slimming its workforce down by a little below 15 percent to put more emphasis on AI this year.

Nike will also be slashing 775 jobs at its distribution centers in Tennessee and Mississippi.

HR consultant Bryan Driscoll the companies are not enforcing layoffs out of “economic necessity.”

“The biggest cuts are coming from large, profitable companies that are using restructuring and AI efficiencies as cover to boost profits and appease investors,” Driscoll told Newsweek. “For employees, expect chaos, silence, and severance that barely buys time. But remember, everything is negotiable, including severance.”

What People Are Saying

Kevin Thompson, the CEO of 9i Capital Group and the host of the 9innings podcast, told Newsweek: “The reasons are multi-layered: cost cutting, right-sizing after pandemic-era over hiring, and productivity gains that simply require fewer people to do the same work. For workers, this likely means a labor market where supply exceeds demand. That translates to less leverage on wages, more competition for roles, and longer job searches. While the job market remains loose,  many companies continue to argue that qualified candidates are still hard to find.”

Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek: “Of course, some layoffs – like those from big tech companies like Amazon – are garnering the most attention because of rising fears AI will permanently alter the job outlook for many employees. However, AI is not the sole culprit of the most recent string of layoff announcements… While all fingers are firmly pointed at AI as the trigger for most layoffs, the more likely reason is Americans are continuing to feel inflationary pressures, are dialing back purchases, and less revenue for these companies equates to less jobs.”

HR consultant Bryan Driscoll told Newsweek: “The economy is failing, yes, and that’s causing rot in the job market. But what’s driving this isn’t some abstract downturn. It’s a system that prioritizes profits over people, squeezes labor for every last dollar and then some. This was all preventable. Corporate power chose otherwise.”

What Happens Next

The continued layoffs into 2026 indicate that employers and employees routinely find a disconnect in skills for the roles they hire for, Thompson said.

“Whether you agree with that assessment or not, the takeaway is clear: there’s a growing mismatch between the workers being supplied and the roles actually in demand, and that gap is shaping today’s job market,” Thompson said.