The American Bazaar
RSS FeedUS layoffs in first 10 days of May 2026: Kyndryl cuts 10,000 roles
Original Published: May 10, 2026
🎯 Impact Sentiment: Concerning
📋 Summary
- Nearly 38,000 jobs were lost in the US in just the first 10 days of May 2026, mainly due to company restructuring and widespread adoption of artificial intelligence.
- The largest layoffs came from Spirit Airlines' total shutdown (14,000 jobs), Kyndryl's major reduction focused on automation (10,000 roles), and significant cuts at PayPal, Cloudflare, and other tech and finance firms.
- Companies are justifying the layoffs by pointing to efficiency, automation, changing market demands, and AI-driven workflows, hitting both frontline and white-collar jobs.
- Experts argue that less drastic measures—like hiring freezes or reduced hours—could have curbed layoffs, and there's growing unease about whether AI will ultimately create enough jobs to replace those it eliminates.
💡 JR Insights
- 💼 Implication: The blow to employment is happening fastest in tech, finance, aviation, and especially for jobs targeted by automation—no one in traditional roles should assume they’re safe, even in well-established companies.
- 🚨 Risk: Companies betting on AI aren’t waiting for market signals; they’re cutting aggressively now, so professionals who rely on operational, support, or middle-management roles face immediate and repeated job insecurity.
- ✨ Takeaway: Don’t wait around—upskilling into AI-related, strategic, or customer-facing areas is now a must. Passive career planning is getting punished, and those who adapt fastest to new tech and evolving business needs will have the best shot at staying employable.