LinkedIn to cut 5% workforce as tech layoffs intensify

LinkedIn has become the latest major tech company to announce layoffs, with the professional networking platform preparing to cut about 5% of its global workforce as part of a broader restructuring aimed at improving profitability and refocusing investments.

In an internal memo to employees, LinkedIn CEO Daniel Shapero said the company would eliminate roles across multiple teams, including its Global Business Organisation, marketing, engineering and product divisions. The company currently employs about 17,500 people worldwide, meaning the cuts could affect nearly 875 employees.

The layoffs will primarily impact staff in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), and Asia-Pacific (APAC), according to the memo. Employees affected by the decision were told they would receive notification emails within an hour of the announcement.

Beyond workforce reductions, LinkedIn also plans to cut spending in several areas, including marketing campaigns, vendor contracts, customer events and underused office spaces, as part of a wider effort to streamline costs.

“We need to reinvent how we work, with agile teams focused on our highest priorities,” Shapero said in the memo, adding that the company intends to redirect investments toward infrastructure and other long-term strategic priorities.

The move comes as parent company Microsoft continues its own cost-cutting measures, having already laid off around 15,000 employees and offered voluntary exit packages to senior staff.

LinkedIn joins a growing list of major technology firms, including Meta and Amazon, that have announced large-scale job cuts amid continued pressure to improve efficiency and margins in a slowing global economy.