Over 60% of manager jobs cut by major companies: Study

In a time when company layoff headlines appear to have cooled, a new report paints a starkly different picture: the decimation of middle and senior management across some of the world’s largest employers. While total employee numbers remain deceptively stable, the structural fabric of the modern workforce is being torn apart behind closed doors.

According to a new study by EdgePulse Workforce Intelligence, companies in the technology, consulting, automotive and retail sectors are not simply trimming headcount. Instead, they are undergoing radical internal surgery—ripping out entire layers of traditional hierarchy and reshaping their organisations from the inside out.

It’s Not the Number—It’s Who’s Being Cut

Over the past two years, more than 60% of managerial roles have disappeared from leading companies, with the study citing dramatic reductions in mid-to-senior staff across major firms like Microsoft, Meta, Ford, Google, and Amazon. These aren’t across-the-board cuts. Rather, they reflect a deliberate shift in organisational strategy: fewer managers, flatter hierarchies, and a leaner, tech-driven structure.

The trend is not isolated to Silicon Valley. Industrial giants like Ford and retail behemoths like Walmart have also undergone sweeping internal realignments, showing that this is a cross-industry phenomenon.

“Forget the headline headcount numbers. The real action is happening at the role level,” said EdgePulse in its statement. “Companies aren’t just trimming fat—they’re restructuring the skeleton of their organisations.”

Of particular note is Ford, which has slashed 82.93% of its managerial positions and an eye-watering 86.67% of senior staff. Meta and Microsoft are not far behind, cutting more than 70% of their top-tier roles.

Why is this happening? In short: efficiency, optics, and shareholder satisfaction.

Companies are increasingly opting to keep overall headcounts stable by hiring into new roles—especially in AI, automation, and cloud services—while phasing out legacy positions. The result is a workforce that appears numerically consistent, but is structurally transformed. In many cases, mid-level management layers are being hollowed out, replaced by flatter teams, digital processes, and direct reporting models.

“This is the restructuring shareholders love,” said EdgePulse. “Costs go down, efficiency goes up, and companies appear leaner—without facing the media backlash of mass layoffs.”

A Shift in Corporate Philosophy

This quiet revolution in organisational design reflects broader changes in how companies view leadership and productivity. Managers, once seen as the backbone of corporate structure, are now viewed as potential bottlenecks—adding cost and complexity in an age when speed and adaptability are prized.

Instead, firms are betting on high-output individual contributors, AI-augmented decision-making, and agile pods of talent that don’t rely on hierarchical oversight.

But for employees in the pipeline—particularly those eyeing promotion to management—this signals a sobering reality. The traditional corporate ladder may no longer exist. With the rungs removed, many career paths will now zigzag laterally, or be replaced altogether by new forms of work.

What It Means for Workers

While tech employees may already be familiar with the shift toward flatter, matrix-style teams, the widespread cuts to sales and support roles are also noteworthy. For instance, Meta and Walmart have slashed over 60% of their sales teams, indicating even revenue-driving functions are not safe from the restructuring wave.

For those still inside the corporate system, upskilling, adaptability and digital literacy are no longer just competitive advantages—they are essential to survival.

As for the broader economy, the implications are mixed: more agile businesses may thrive, but displaced professionals—especially in mid-career stages—could face long-term disruptions in job security and growth opportunities.