Layoffs Survival Strategy in this Era – No One Tells/ Shares

Nowadays, one Headline is being in trend- Daily, different "Companies are laying off their employees in bulk," which results in the rise of unemployment surrounding us.

Every Newspaper, Internet, and Social Media is full of Headlines of these layoffs on their front page.

Truth Nowadays, Everyone is Ignoring; Your job is not as safe as you imagine it to be.

I am writing this on a Wednesday morning, and at this moment, somewhere, somebody is receiving a Zoom invite with the title “Quick Chat” in HR. In 2025, they will be joining 97,000 others who have already been laid off. And we have not yet even finished with the year.

I can draw you a picture that is making you lose sleep: 413 tech companies have laid off almost 97,000 people in 2025 alone, or 489 people every single day.

And if you think 2024 was rough? More than 237,666 people across 1,107 companies. The layoff train is not slowing down; it is gaining momentum.

However, what no one is telling you is that there is a way to layoff-proof your career. And it's not what you think.

The Truth that No One Wants to Discuss

Remember when I could get a good job and work hard, and be sure of job security? Yeah, those days are dead. Buried. Not coming back.

The game that companies are playing today is an entirely different one, and most of us are still playing by the old rule book. They are not Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, Intell, TCS or Google anymore. They're verbs. Getting Googled now only slightly refers to search results as it did 5 years ago.

The worst part? It is not only tech. Healthcare, finance, retail, and manufacturing, all of us are slicing deep. And the reason is always the same: restructuring, strategic realignment, efficiency maximization. Translation? Your job may be gone tomorrow, and no one will have any interest in how many years you have been there.

Globally LayOff Trends by Sector in 2025

Over this year, 2025, there have been several layoffs across the world, and numerous employees lost their jobs, which is a drastic and terrible thing in their life due to it costs of survival and suddenly losing the job

Global Layoff Trends by Sector in 2025
Sector	Companies Affected	Globally Layoffs (Estimates)	Resources
Technology (Tech)	Meta (Facebook), Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Twitter, Salesforce	100,000+	Layoff Tracker, TechCrunch, Crunchbase
Retail	Walmart, Target, Macy's, Bed Bath & Beyond, H&M	50,000+	Retail Dive, Forbes - Retail
Automotive	Ford, Tesla, General Motors, Rivian	10,000+	Automotive News, Tesla Reports
Finance	JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, HSBC, Barclays	20,000+	Bloomberg - Finance, Reuters - Finance
Healthcare	UnitedHealth, CVS, Humana, Cigna, Walgreens	15,000+	Healthcare Dive, Health Affairs
Manufacturing	General Electric, Siemens, Caterpillar, 3M	10,000+	IndustryWeek, Manufacturing.net
Telecommunications	AT&T, Verizon, Vodafone, BT Group	8,000+	Telecoms.com, Fierce Telecom
Hospitality and Tourism	Marriott, Hilton, Delta Airlines, Royal Caribbean	25,000+	Hotel Management, Skyscanner Insights
Media and Entertainment	Disney, Warner Bros., Paramount, Sony	12,000+	Variety, Hollywood Reporter
Real Estate	CBRE, Zillow, Redfin, Brookfield	5,000+	Real Trends, HousingWire
Energy	Shell, BP, ExxonMobil, Chevron	6,000+	Energy Voice, Oil & Gas Journal
Transportation and Logistics	FedEx, UPS, DHL, Maersk, XPO Logistics	20,000+	Logistics Management, Supply Chain Dive
Education	Pearson, Coursera, Khan Academy, Duolingo	5,000+	EdSurge, EdTech Magazine
Construction	Turner Construction, Bechtel, Skanska, Lendlease	4,000+	Construction Dive, Engineering News-Record

Why This Is Happening (And Why It Won't Stop)?

Who knows, we had better tell the truth:

AI is stealing everybody their lunch- And I do not mean in some far-off future. It's happening right now. Firms are discovering that they can do away with three customer service representatives and install a single ChatGPT. They can mechanize data analysis, which previously had to involve an entire team to perform. The calculations are not complicated, and cruel: AI does not require health care, sick leave, or salary.

The pandemic hangover is factual- Between 2020-2022, Companies engaged in a hiring spree like drunk sailors using company credit cards. Now they are coming to their senses, and they know that they cannot pay the bar bill. The correction is not finished; we are still in the middle of it.

The new normal- Economic uncertainty- Inflation, interest rates, geopolitical tensions- this is the new mess that CEOs are examining, and they are concluding that the quickest way to keep investors happy is to cut the headcount. And guess what? Wall Street rewards layoffs. The value of the stocks tends to increase when companies release the news that they are cutting jobs. Let that sink in.

The Survival Strategies of old are no longer working- You know what is no longer going to cushion you against the layoffs?

• Working 60-hour weeks 
• Being the nice guy/girl that people like 
• Loyalty to a single company -10 years.
• Being very, very good at your present job 

I have friends who did it all right and were blindsided. Top performers. Award winners. Individuals who virtually resided in the office. Gone. Slack to LinkedIn Open to Work the next day.

The harsh truth? Being good at your job makes you valuable. But that does not make you unreplaceable.

Rumors of Layoffs 

Some Rumours like this were spread on the internet that TCS terminated ~80,000 employees, not ~12000.

 

Actual Layoffs 

“Big vendors or top companies' Layoffs can be seen or viral, but Small vendors or small businesses' Layoffs can’t be seen or viral; they are unknown.”

The Solution No One Would Expect

This is when things become interesting, and this is the reason why you are reading this article.

Everybody is panicking about layoffs, but this is exactly what a small group of professionals is doing. They are not merely riding the layoff wave; they are booming. Their hidden weapon is not to work harder or hope it will be alright.

They're going back to school. But not the way you think.

Why an Online MBA or DBA is Your Career Insurance Policy?

I can guess what you are thinking, school? Really? That's the advice? I don't have time for that!"

Listen to me, as this is not your quintessential two years off, wishful thinking that you could secure employment once you were done.

MBA is well known for every student but how can I differentiate in all MBAs:

Online Global MBA / Online DBA programs around the world are the literal key to the job market at the moment. Here's why: 

You Become Undeniably Different.

One out of 500 resumes will claim to be a hard worker and a team player. Cool story. So is literally everybody seeking the job.

But an MBA or DBA to your name? That prevents the recruiter from doing any more scrolling. It is an indication of something entirely different: business savvy, leadership possibility. You are not a mere cog in the machine; you are somebody who knows how that entire machine functions.

You are playing chess, and everybody is playing checkers.

The majority of the professionals think tactically. They are interested in their role, their tasks. Online MBA/ Online DBA courses help you to be strategic. You get to know how real businesses operate, where the money comes and goes, and why CEOs can stay up all night.

Who do you think goes through the process of layoffs (they will)? The operational implementer is conscious only of his little street? Or the brains of the strategy that can be involved in the top-level business decisions?

Not even a close call.

The Network Effect Is Real

Now, this is a secret that no one tells you: education itself is not a bad thing, but the network you create could be even better.

International online programs open up the world of professionals in industries, countries, and fields of expertise. These are not merely your classmates, but your future employment contacts, business associates, role models, and references. Once the regular job boards are overrun with desperate applications, you are getting DMs on jobs that did not even appear.

You Can Do It Before Your Retirement.

This is the game-changer. Online MBA? When you graduate, you resign, burn your savings, and hope that the market turns out to be good. Online programs? You retain your present job and salary and enhance your qualifications.

You are literally making a lifeboat even as the ship is still afloat. And if the ship does sink? You have choices that are available to 99 percent of your co-workers.

The Online DBA: The Secret Weapon that No One Knows

Speaking a little about the Online Doctor of Business Administration, this is where things become really interesting.

The majority of the population is aware of what an MBA is. But a DBA? That would be a third-level differentiation.

A DBA is not merely a policy of education in the field of business, but a process of becoming a recognized practitioner and leader of thought. We're talking:

• Opportunities in consulting with around 300-500/hour.
• Board positions requiring paying between $50K-200K+ per year, a few times.
• Orating during conferences and events.
• Equity and profit-sharing executive advisory positions.
• Faculty jobs in case you desire that tenure track security.

The catch, however, is that everybody is struggling for the same type of corporate jobs, yet the DBA holders have created absolutely different career opportunities that are not prone to the same layoff risks.

It is no longer climbing the corporate ladder, but rather creating your ladder.

True Confessions: What These Programs Really Look Like.

Okay, enough hype. Let's get practical.

Time dedication: An online MBA will require 1 or 2 years in case you are undertaking it as a part-time student with a job. DBAs typically take 3 years. Yes, it's a commitment. However, relative to the other option of possibly taking 6-12 months without work, then desperate? It's a no-brainer.

Price: Depending on the school and the program, online programs will cost between INR 20,000 and INR 20 lakhs. Expensive? Sure. However, take this into consideration: 489 individuals are losing their jobs every day in technology alone; the price of not having that MBA when layoffs occur may be much greater. A single job hunt may be more expensive than tuition.

Job: Not going to lie--it is difficult. You are working, going to school, and living. The point is that this difficulty is the one that renders it valuable. Had it been easy, everybody would have one, and it would not be a differentiator.

Flexibility: This is the area where the online programs excel. The majority of them allow you to study on your own time. Taped classes, online chats, intensive weekends. You are not getting to college or sitting in a classroom three nights a week.

The “I Don’t Have Time (And Why It’s BS)” – Excuse

I can already hear some of you: This sounds great, but I have no time.

Really? Let's do the math.

• You are scrolling social media: 2-3 hours/day.
• You watch Netflix: 1-2 hours/day.
• You commute: 1 hour/day
• You are in useless meetings: 2 hrs/day.

I am not saying that you must do away with all that. However, in case your career security was a serious matter, then you could spare 10 to 15 hours a week. That's it. That is all online programs need.

It is not about time, whether you have time or not. The first one is the question: What is even more important than your Netflix queue or your career survival?

Advanced Certificates: The Fast Track Option.

You perhaps are not prepared to take the plunge into an MBA or a DBA. I get it.

Advanced certificates are the answer to that. They are like injections of strategic skills:

Data Analytics Certificate: Indeed, businesses will never be short of individuals capable of interpreting data.

AI and Machine Learning Certificate: Be the one who works with AI, not the one who is replaced by AI.

Digital Marketing Certificate: The last thing that companies can reduce is marketing budgets.

Project Management Certificate: Every business must have a person who is able to make things happen.

Cybersecurity Certificate: As all things are going online, security specialists are jobless.

These programs last 3-6 months and are a fraction of a full degree, and give employers right at the beginning that you are not sitting idle. You're evolving.

The Mental Paradigm Shift that transforms everything

The difference between people who win and the ones who fail is that the former know this and the latter do not:

Your job is not your career

You are now only temporarily employed. It will come to an end, whether in 6 months or in 6 years. The question is, when it comes, will you be prepared?

Your present job does not have anything to do with your investment in MBA, DBA, and higher certifications. It concerns your career in the next 30 years. It is a matter of choices being made at the point of difficulty. It is about never being trapped by the fact that there is no other place to go.

It is having a better night knowing that even when you receive that “HORRIBLE Quick CHAT” invitation to a calendar appointment tomorrow that you are not in the deep.

The Numbers Don't Lie

Let us discuss ROI, since I can tell you are considering it

The median increase in salaries is 50% to 80% for the average MBA graduate. Let's be conservative and say 50%. Assuming you are earning 80K at present, with your MBA, you will be earning 40K more per annum. That will cost an extra one point 2 million dollars in earnings over a 30-year career. And that is not even the compounding effects of promotions, bonuses, and opportunities that are a result of the credential.

However, what the figures fail to express is the peace of mind. The confidence. The options.

What do you think it would be to always be too frightened to leave the job you now have because you are sure that you can never secure another one? What is the value of recruiters calling you rather than you desperately submitting applications to hundreds of jobs?

That's the real ROI

Your Action Plan (Because Reading Without Acting Is Just Entertainment)

Okay, enough talk. Here's what you do next:

Week 1: Understand 5-10 online MBA/ online DBA programs on the internet. Consider accreditation, curriculum, alumni outcomes, and cost. Make a shortlist of 3.

Week 2: Call admissions counselors of the top 3. Address the tough questions on time dedication, ROI, career assistance, and flexibility.

Week 3: Discuss the commitment with your partner/family. Get buy-in. It is not only your choice whether it is your home or not.

Week 4: Make the decision. Apply or don't. But make a decision. Indecision is nothing but dragging failure.

A certificate program is a good place to begin in case you are just too busy to get a full degree. Get momentum. Demonstrate to yourself that you are able. Then level up.

At Last, 

Thus, the number of individuals losing their jobs in tech alone is more than 96,000 in a single year, and it is not even all the other sectors. These are not statistics but the flesh and blood people who had credits, families, and futures that have been upset today.

It is either you hope that you will not be in the same situation or you can act to ensure that should the same situation happen to you, you are prepared.

The layoff wave has not ended. The economic uncertainty does not disappear. AI isn't slowing down. The former career security rules are gone.

But here is the good news: you can do more than you believe. It is not within your power to determine whether your company is going to reduce the number of people working. However, you can decide whether you are the apparent one to retain. You CAN decide whether you have a choice when circumstances go wrong. You can leave it to chance with your investment, or you can invest in yourself.

An MBA, DBA, and advanced certificate online is no magic bullet. However, it is the nearest one to career insurance, which will exist in 2025.

Whether or not you should invest in your education is not the question. The answer is: can you not afford not to?

Your move - Online Global MBA or Online DBA, or EMBA 

Still on the fence? That's fine. And all you need to remember is: even as you are making your decision, 489+ people were laid off today. Will you be prepared when your name is called?