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What the F*** is Going on with Design Layoffs?
A tale about over-hiring, AI anxiety, and why designers aren’t going anywhere (despite all the chaos).
Ah, the design industry. A playground for creativity, problem-solving, and, let’s face it, a healthy dose of existential dread. But these days, it feels like the playground’s on fire. Layoffs are happening left and right, and designers are caught in the crossfire.
So, what the f*** is going on with design layoffs? Buckle up, because we’re about to unpack this mess.
The Economy Is a Dumpster Fire, and We’re All Feeling the Heat
If you thought 2024 was rough, welcome to 2025, where the economic hangover just won’t quit. Inflation, cautious investors, and sluggish consumer spending have tech companies scrambling to save their bottom lines. And when it’s time to tighten the purse strings, guess who gets the axe?
Designers. Because, apparently, the people responsible for making things usable, beautiful, and delightful are suddenly a “nice-to-have.”
According to Indeed, UX research job listings have plummeted by 71%, and UX design roles have nosedived 70% since early 2022.
Ouch. It’s not just design, though. The entire tech job market has slowed. Companies are pausing to ask, “Do we really need all these people?”
Over-Hiring: The COVID-Era Mistake That’s Still Haunting Us
Remember the pandemic? (How could we forget?). Following the beginning of what it has been and awful layoffs season, companies started to freaked out, threw money around like confetti, and hired like it was going out of style. The needed to recover the lost positions, right?
Not quite, but venture capital was flowing, stock prices were soaring, and suddenly, every company had a UX team the size of a small country.
Fast-forward a couple of years, and that unsustainable growth has come home to roost. Layoffs aren’t just about economic downturns — they’re about correcting the ridiculous hiring practices of 2021–2022. Tech giants and startups alike are cutting roles they never really…
