A staffing provider has examined which people have been particularly affected by layoffs. In particular, 5 groups have been hit hard. And Generation Z is notably not among them.
Where do the data come from? The economists of the staffing data provider Revelio Labs (Paywall) investigated a list of 17,000 professionals who have been laid off since early March 2025 (via businessinsider.com). The economists compared the data across companies and tried to evaluate which groups of people have been particularly affected by layoffs.
- How long was the employment period of those laid off compared to those who were spared from layoffs?
- How much did they earn?
- How old were the laid-off individuals?
- What kind of work did they do?
Based on these questions, the data were examined and a total of 5 groups were identified that have been particularly affected. And surprisingly, this time it does not include Gen Z.
Recently hired employees
It hits hardest those who have not been with a company for very long: Experts explain that most people have only been employed for a very short time. The average laid-off employee in the analysis conducted by Revelio Labs had been employed by their employer for 1.2 years.
Another important point that is also emphasized: For many new employees, the salary was significantly higher than that of older employees. To attract talent, very high salaries were offered. But these are now exactly the people being laid off to reduce costs in the companies.
High earners
Revelio Labs found that the salaries of those who were laid off were significantly higher in a range of professions compared to the salaries of those who kept their jobs.
The argument: Employers save more money when they cut the jobs of high earners. A person who earns significantly less financially burdens a company much less than someone who earns a fat salary each month.
Millennials
The current wave of layoffs particularly affects Millennials (born from 1980 to about 1996). Among the employers examined by Revelio Labs, Millennials were particularly represented:
- Among the companies examined that laid off individuals, Millennials made up 79% of the workforce.
- Of the individuals who were ultimately laid off, 94% belonged to the Millennials.
Employees of Generation X (1965 and 1980) and Baby Boomers (1946 to 1964) were largely spared from layoffs in the data presented. And the youngest workers, Generation Z, were hardly present in the layoffs. It is suspected that Gen Z simply has not earned enough to be relevant for layoffs.
Recruiters
During the recent wave of layoffs, no one was at greater risk of being laid off than recruiters. And this is quite understandable.
If there is a hiring freeze in a company, the first to be let go are usually the people who are responsible for bringing new individuals into the company. However, if no one is being hired, there is no longer a need for recruiters.
Software Engineers
Software engineers were also particularly heavily represented in the recent layoffs. For a long time, this group of people was considered especially important for large tech companies and essential for the core business of many large firms like Google, Apple, and others.
But this time, engineers were even more frequently laid off than employees in other positions. Some speculate that companies saw layoffs as an opportunity to reduce salaries back to pre-pandemic levels: Because during the pandemic, software engineers were in high demand and were lured with high salaries. And that is exactly what they are now trying to reduce again.
Another point is the huge AI hype, which currently mainly affects software developers. Mark Zuckerberg has already announced the end for programmers at Meta, as it could save salaries of hundreds of thousands of euros. And there are similar considerations in other tech firms.
Generation Z is pushing into the job market. According to statistics, a large proportion have a university degree. But this is causing some young individuals to be in trouble, as there are too many applicants for too few positions. In Germany, every 5th employee is overqualified: Generation Z is the most educated generation in history: Unfortunately, it is also the most overqualified in the job market
