Telecom-IT Layoff Tracker: AT&T, CenturyLink, VMware, Cisco

With the coronavirus threatening businesses and productivity, it could be a challenge for job seekers in the channel who found themselves pink-slipped in recent months.

AT&T, CenturyLink, Cisco and VMware are among companies in the channel that have shed workers since last August as part of a cost-cutting strategy and/or business transformation. Telecommunications continues to shrink its workforce, with 1,000 positions eliminated last month alone.

Tech company layoffs skyrocketed last year, up 351% from 2018, amid trade concerns, emerging technologies and shifts in customer behavior, according to a report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas. In all, 64,166 tech company job cuts were reported last year compared to 14,230 in 2018.

The good news for job seekers is the U.S. tech sector added an estimated 33,500 new jobs in the first two months of 2020, the best hiring start for a year since 2017, according to CompTIA. What’s yet to be seen is whether the coronavirus will reverse that trend.

Scroll through our layoff tracker below for a recap of cuts that occurred during since last August.