Layoffs: Which jobs, in particular, are at risk?

The recent layoffs at big tech firms show a clear target: the middle manager, according to a Bloomberg report.

As big tech firms like Meta, Google, Microsoft and other Silicon Valley giants took to layoffs to lower costs, a report revealed a startling stat - the 'Middle Managers' are the target.

On Wednesday, Meta's Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said the company would be firing some layers of management during a tough year, which he named a "year of efficiency".

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That comes after the tech giant cut 11,000 jobs last year, or about 13 per centof its workforce and called those layoffs "just the beginning".

In addition to layoffs, Intel cut its managers' and executives' pay in anticipation of a sharp fall in computer demand.

Beyond tech firms, similar trends were seen in other large companies on job cuts.

A Slack Technologies survey showed employees in the 'middle management' are the most worked. The survey also showed that over 40 per cent of middle managers are already 'burned out'.

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Middle managers everywhere are under extreme pressure from the above and the below levels of the organisation.

In addition to handling dictates from their bosses "to do more with fewer resources", they have had to deal with their reports.

They have had to implement changing and challenging "return to the office" policies and balance between "work from home and the office" or the hybrid work of their junior.

The changing dynamics in the tech world on management and the importance of those roles beyond core engineering teams are more evident with Twitter after Elon Musk took over.

Musk fired over 7,000 staff and said, "there seem to be ten people 'managing' for every one-person coding". That was in response to a question on "what was the most messed up in Twitter" back then.

Words like restructuring, reorganising, more efficient, agile, lean, and mean are what companies are using to lower costs and cut jobs.

The recent layoffs clearly show that narrative, with core engineering teams back in focus.

Google's parent Alphabet revealed that the firm has over 30,000 managers. Previously, Alphabet had laid off 12,000 employees or about 6 per centof its workforce.

At Google, "management" was a bad word not too long ago, and that seems to be the clear directive now.

(with inputs from agencies)

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