ServiceNow layoffs: third 2026 round hits India, UK, US staff
By Pooja MehraIndustry Trends Analyst, Peepals Tech
Representative image: Mariakray / Pixabay
ServiceNow confirmed a third round of 2026 job cuts on 5 November, with staff in India, the UK and the US affected; it did not say how many roles go.
What Happened
ServiceNow, the US company whose software runs IT, human resources and customer service workflows inside large organisations, has begun a third round of job cuts in 2026, with affected employees reported in India, the United Kingdom and the United States. The company confirmed the action in a statement on Thursday, 5 November 2026, but declined to say how many roles are being cut. It said it was "making necessary changes to how we are structured" while "actively investing in and hiring for AI-focused skills". The cuts come after ServiceNow's shares fell about 35% between 23 October and 5 November 2026.
Key Facts
- Company: ServiceNow, a US enterprise software company.
- Confirmed: Thursday, 5 November 2026, in a company statement; the number of jobs cut was not disclosed.
- Where: employees in India, the UK and the US are among those affected, according to reports.
- Company statement: it is "driving efficiencies across the business, actively investing in and hiring for AI-focused skills, and managing headcount with discipline".
- Earlier rounds: a restructuring in June 2026 and a second round in late July 2026 that affected hundreds of employees globally, according to reports.
- Severance: the company's quarterly filing shows $167 million in severance costs in the first nine months of 2026, before this round.
- Shares: down about 35% between 23 October and 5 November 2026, and down more than 30% this year, according to reports.
Why It Matters
A new round of cuts, even of undisclosed size, matters to tech workers in Indian cities where the company has teams, and it adds to the wider pattern of software companies trimming staff while saying they are hiring for artificial intelligence (AI).
That pattern is clear in ServiceNow's own words. The company is not saying it needs fewer people overall in every area; it says it is changing its structure and hiring for AI-focused skills while keeping overall headcount under tight control. For workers, that means demand is shifting: roles tied to building, deploying and selling AI products are being protected or added, while other roles are being cut. About a week before this round, chief executive Bill McDermott described a smaller workforce as a "gorgeous situation", saying headcount had "slightly declined", according to reports.
The timing is linked to the company's share price. ServiceNow's quarterly results in late October disappointed investors, and its shares then had their steepest fall in the company's history, according to specialist reports.
For job seekers in India's tech sector, the news sits beside more positive hiring data. A recent report from the staffing firm Xpheno counted about 1.3 lakh active tech job openings in India in November 2026, led by IT services and global capability centres. The overall market is growing, but individual product companies like ServiceNow are cutting and reshaping teams around AI.
Peepals calculation: A 35% fall means a share worth 100 on 23 October 2026 was worth about 65 on 5 November. To get back to 100 from 65, the price would have to rise by about 54% (100 ÷ 65 ≈ 1.54). The $167 million in severance over the first nine months of 2026 averages about $18.6 million a month (167 ÷ 9), before the cost of this latest round. Our calculation from the reported figures.
| Round in 2026 | Timing | Scale reported |
|---|---|---|
| First | June | not given in reports |
| Second | late July | hundreds of employees globally |
| Third | confirmed 5 November | not disclosed; India, UK, US staff affected |
Impact
Short-term: Affected employees in India, the UK and the US face job losses, and teams across the company may be reorganised. Hiring for AI-related roles continues, the company says.
Long-term: ServiceNow's shift towards AI skills may change what kinds of tech roles it offers in India, with more weight on AI engineering and fewer roles in areas being automated or merged.
Who is affected: ServiceNow employees in India, the UK and the US; job seekers targeting enterprise software firms; and customers and partners who work with the affected teams.
Key Takeaway
ServiceNow confirmed a third round of 2026 job cuts on 5 November, hitting staff in India, the UK and the US, while saying it is hiring for AI-focused skills.
Questions and Answers
Is ServiceNow laying off employees in India?
Reports say employees in India, the UK and the US are among those affected by the round the company confirmed on 5 November 2026. ServiceNow did not disclose how many jobs were cut.
Why is ServiceNow cutting jobs?
The company said it is changing how it is structured, driving efficiencies, hiring for AI-focused skills and managing headcount with discipline. The cuts follow a sharp fall in its share price after its October results.
How many layoff rounds has ServiceNow had in 2026?
This is the third, after a restructuring in June and a second round in late July, according to reports.
Is ServiceNow still hiring?
The company says it is actively investing in and hiring for AI-focused skills even as it cuts other roles.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
By Pooja Mehra, Industry Trends AnalystCovers Industry News & Trends and more for Peepals Tech. All stories by Pooja Mehra
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Pooja Mehra is a pen name of the Peepals Global Editorial Team, which researches, fact-checks and publishes every story. The portrait is an illustration.
