Workday’s filings confirm several separate workforce reductions, but do not confirm an exact count of employees laid off in the February 2025 plan often described as “nearly 2,000.” The company reported that plan reduced its workforce by approximately 7.5%. A newer reorganization, announced September 29, 2026, affects approximately 2.5% of its current workforce, primarily in Product and Technology.
How many employees is Workday laying off?
It depends which restructuring the headline refers to. For the February 2025 plan, Workday’s fiscal 2026 Form 10-K reports a reduction of approximately 7.5% of its workforce, but gives no exact number of departures. The “nearly 2,000” wording is not a count confirmed in that filing.
Workday reported 21,070 employees as of January 31, 2026, up 3% from 20,482 a year earlier. Those are company-wide headcounts on two dates, not counts of people affected by any particular restructuring.
For the separate September 2026 action, Workday’s September 29 Form 8-K says approximately 2.5% of its current workforce would be affected. A local report estimated about 525 jobs globally by applying that percentage to Workday’s reported headcount; that is a reported calculation, not a job count stated by Workday. The report also said 142 jobs at Workday’s Pleasanton headquarters were scheduled to take effect November 30, 2026, citing a California Employment Development Department filing. AOL/KRON4’s October 2, 2026 report provides those local figures.
Workday’s separate restructuring rounds
The percentages and charges below refer to distinct company plans. Charges are company-reported restructuring costs, not per-employee severance amounts.
| Announcement | Reported workforce reduction | Functions identified | Timing | Charges | Exact employee count in cited company filing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2025 plan | Approximately 7.5% of workforce | No role-by-role breakdown stated | Substantially completed in fiscal 2026’s second quarter | $233 million total: $196 million in employee transition, severance, benefits, and share-based compensation; $37 million in office-space impairment | No |
| February 2026 plan | Approximately 2% of workforce | No role-by-role breakdown stated | Not stated in the cited filing | $135 million in fiscal 2026 charges, including employee-related charges and asset impairments | No |
| September 29, 2026 reorganization | Approximately 2.5% of current workforce | Primarily Product and Technology | Employee-related actions expected to be substantially completed by the first quarter of fiscal 2028, subject to local law and consultation requirements | Estimated $65 million to $80 million | No |
The February 2025 and February 2026 figures come from Workday’s fiscal 2026 Form 10-K. The September 2026 figure and timing are from its September 29, 2026 Form 8-K. Actual charges and timing for the September plan may differ from Workday’s estimates.
Which Workday teams are affected?
Workday identified Product and Technology as the primary areas affected by the September 2026 reorganization. It did not publish a detailed list of roles or teams, so the filing does not establish that every reduction is limited to those functions. Workday also said it expected to continue hiring in strategic areas.
The company described the September action as “designed to better align team structures with Workday’s strategic growth priorities.” Its filings do not identify artificial intelligence as the cause of these cuts, and no named executive’s explanation was reported in the cited material.
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What the charge figures do—and do not—tell employees
Restructuring charges are accounting costs associated with carrying out a plan; they are not a promise of a particular payment to each affected employee. For September 2026, Workday estimated total charges of $65 million to $80 million, including $40 million to $55 million in future cash severance, benefits, and related costs, approximately $10 million in non-cash stock-compensation charges, and approximately $15 million in leased-office impairment.
The fiscal 2026 Form 10-K separately reports $233 million tied to the February 2025 plan and $135 million in fiscal 2026 charges for the February 2026 plan. These company-wide totals do not reveal individual severance terms or the number of employees who received them.
Quick Recap
Sources and what remains unconfirmed
- Workday fiscal 2026 Form 10-K: workforce percentages, headcounts, completion information, and restructuring charges for the February 2025 and February 2026 plans.
- Workday September 29, 2026 Form 8-K: the newest reduction percentage, primary affected functions, strategic-alignment explanation, hiring plans, estimated charges, and expected timing.
- Workday’s September 2026 charge disclosure: the estimate for total charges and its components.
- AOL/KRON4, October 2, 2026: the reported Pleasanton filing figure and the outlet’s derived global job estimate.
- Workday fiscal 2026 Form 10-K headcount disclosure: reported employee totals as of January 31, 2025 and January 31, 2026.
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