Tech is not the sexy job it used to be

"In November, Apple laid off dozens of sales employees in a rather unexpected move for the tech giant. Apple is the rare tech company that has steered clear of mass layoffs, particularly among its peers in the trillion-dollar club. The layoffs "came as a surprise" for those who lost their jobs, according to a Bloomberg report-and they impacted some employees who had been with the company for decades."

"The post-pandemic job market has come to be defined by layoffs, in tech and beyond: A Glassdoor analysis finds that there was a peak in 2023, but layoffs have since continued at a more frequent cadence relative to the years prior. A variety of sectors have been hit hard-and prominent employers like Verizon, Starbucks, and UPS have gone through multiple rounds of cuts this year alone, slashing thousands of jobs."

"Since 2022, tech employers have laid off upwards of 700,000 workers, according to the tracker Layoffs.fyi. With the exception of Apple, which has conducted a handful of more targeted cuts in recent years, the Big Tech companies-namely Amazon, Meta, Google, and Microsoft-have laid off tens of thousands of employees over the last three years. "There are just so many new grads coming out, trying to enter the tech industry, and they feel like the promise of a high-paying job in tech is just not really being fulfilled," says Daniel Zhao, Glassdoor's chief economist and director of economic research."

Apple laid off dozens of sales employees in November, surprising some long-tenured staff with targeted cuts despite generally avoiding mass layoffs. The post-pandemic job market has been defined by continued layoffs, peaking in 2023 but remaining more frequent than pre-pandemic years, hitting sectors including telecom, retail, and logistics. The tech industry has relied on layoffs after periods of overhiring and shifting priorities, with artificial intelligence accelerating disruption. Since 2022, roughly 700,000 tech workers lost jobs, while Amazon, Meta, Google, and Microsoft cut tens of thousands. New graduates face diminished prospects and the once-coveted Big Tech employment cachet has weakened.

Read at Fast Company