Oracle reportedly preparing another round of layoffs

Oracle could undertake another round of layoffs that may impact thousands of employees in India, according to people familiar with the developments, as the technology major looks to reduce costs across teams. The potential job cuts are expected to be broader than a targeted restructuring of a particular business or function, with teams reportedly asked to reduce their overall budgets, raising the possibility of job losses across multiple functions.

The scale of the layoffs is not clear, but internal estimates circulating among employees suggest that the number of affected employees globally could be in the range of 7,000 to 10,000. The extent of the impact on Oracle's India workforce could not be independently ascertained.

The latest expected layoffs come after a significant reduction in Oracle's workforce in the past couple of quarters. Oracle officially disclosed cutting 21,000 jobs over a 12-month period ending May 31, reducing its global workforce by 13 percent to roughly 141,000 employees. External reports and employee trackers place total restructuring impacts closer to 30,000 roles globally.

Timing and employee uncertainty

Employees have been told to expect action around the beginning or middle of September, with September 1 previously discussed as a possible date. More recent discussions have pointed to September 15 as another possibility. The uncertainty has added to anxiety among employees, particularly senior staff and those in higher salary brackets, who are believed to be among those potentially affected in this round.

"It is possible," one person familiar with the developments said, adding that the exercise was not limited to a particular team and that employees across functions could be impacted.

Oracle has not publicly announced the potential layoffs and did not respond to a request for comment. The company has not officially confirmed that a mass layoff will take place on September 1, according to reports.

Context: cost-cutting amid cloud investment

The potential layoffs come as Oracle continues to invest heavily in cloud infrastructure and artificial intelligence while also seeking to manage costs. Earlier this year, Oracle said it expected to raise between $45 billion and $50 billion during 2026 to increase its cloud infrastructure capacity. The scale of this spending has put greater pressure on the company to find savings in other areas while maintaining profitability.

Oracle's India operations host large engineering, cloud, support and other technology teams, making the country a significant part of its global workforce.

Severance details reported

In an email sent to staff, Oracle informed employees about certain organisational changes and said that "because of these changes, a decision has been taken to streamline the operations, and as a result, unfortunately, the position you currently hold will become redundant." The company has also offered a severance package for those who voluntarily and amicably resign.

According to reports, Oracle has offered 15 days' salary to each employee who has completed a year of service in India. This will be in addition to one month of unpaid wages till termination date, leave encashment, gratuity based on eligibility, and pay for a one-month notice period. The company also offered a two-month salary as a top-up.

Previous reductions

Reports indicate that Oracle had fired around 20,000 to 30,000 employees globally in March. The company reportedly had plans for a new round of job cuts to reduce payroll, with managers asked to identify roles that could be eliminated. Employees have been tracking the company's Slack member count, watching for signs of layoffs versus ordinary month-end attrition.

During fiscal 2026, which ended on May 31, Oracle's global headcount fell by around 21,000 employees, a 13 per cent decline. The reduction was attributed to a combination of layoffs, employee attrition and restructuring.