US Tech Layoffs and Contractor Demand: Reading the 2026 Market
The 2023 and 2024 tech layoff waves reshaped US corporate IT hiring in ways that are still playing out in 2026. The permanent headcount reductions that characterised those years did not reduce companies' need for technology capability - they shifted how that capability is sourced. For US IT contractors, understanding this structural shift is essential for reading where the work is concentrated and why it will persist.