Oracle total workforce declined 13% in 2026

Source Credit : Portfolio Prints

Oracle's global workforce shrank by 13%, or roughly 21,000 employees, in fiscal 2026 as the cloud-computing giant continued restructuring its operations, partly driven by the increasing adoption of artificial intelligence across its business.

The company employed 141,000 people as of May 31, 2026, down from about 162,000 a year earlier, according to its annual report released on Monday.



Oracle spent $1.84 billion on severance payments and other restructuring-related exit costs during fiscal 2026, a sharp increase from the $374 million recorded in the previous fiscal year, the filing showed.

The company said the workforce reductions were prompted by several factors, including management and product changes, employee performance considerations, strategic realignments and acquisitions.

The decline follows multiple reports earlier this year that Oracle was cutting thousands of jobs. The company did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Concerns over AI-driven job displacement continue to grow across the technology sector. According to Layoffs.fyi, 196 tech companies have collectively laid off more than 119,800 employees so far this year.

Long considered a smaller player in cloud computing, Oracle has recently signed major data-centre agreements with OpenAI and Meta as it seeks to compete more aggressively with industry leaders Amazon and Microsoft.

However, unlike its larger rivals, which can finance massive investments through robust cash flows, Oracle has increasingly relied on debt issuance and cash burn to fund its expansion. The company's shares have fallen about 10% this year.

Earlier this month, Oracle said it expects net capital expenditure of around $70 billion in the current fiscal year. To finance those investments, the company plans to raise an additional $40 billion through debt and equity, including a previously announced $20 billion stock offering.