Samwise High Tech Recruiting Newsletter
Sunday, June 14, 2026
Despite Wave of Layoff Headlines, AI-Driven Tech Job Openings Jumped 9% in May, ICIMS Data Shows
A new workforce report from talent acquisition platform ICIMS reveals that U.S. technology job openings grew 9% year-over-year in May 2026, even as layoff announcements dominated industry headlines. Drawing on data from more than three million users worldwide, ICIMS found the five fastest-growing tech occupations are Computer Programmers (+35%), Software Developers (+28%), Database Administrators (+27%), Computer and Information Systems Managers (+22%), and Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers (+20%). Healthcare technology is the leading growth sector, with tech-focused hiring up 8% compared with May 2025. The June Workforce Report warns that demand is outpacing supply as the talent pipeline has not kept pace with AI-related hiring acceleration.
Sources: iCIMS via PR Newswire
Amdocs to Eliminate 3,000 Jobs in AI-Driven Restructuring, Marking Fourth Consecutive Year of Cuts
Enterprise software provider Amdocs is preparing to cut approximately 3,000 employees, between 7 and 10 percent of its global workforce, in a sweeping reorganization under CEO Shimie Hortig, who took the position in March 2026. The St. Louis-based telecom software company plans to consolidate AI development into a dedicated new division and reduce management layers. Hundreds of affected employees are based in Israel, where Amdocs maintains significant operations. The cuts, not yet formally confirmed by the company, would mark its fourth consecutive year of workforce reductions. Crunchbase’s weekly layoff tracker for the period ending June 10 also noted Salesforce trimmed approximately 86 positions across Agentforce AI, Mulesoft, and Marketing Cloud.
Sources: Crunchbase News
Expeditors International Ends 47-Year No-Layoff Practice, Cutting 230 Seattle-Area Tech Workers
Logistics company Expeditors International laid off approximately 230 technology employees across its Seattle-area offices, ending a no-layoff practice the company had maintained since its 1979 founding. The cuts affected software developers, quality assurance testers, project managers, and business analysts at offices in Seattle, Bellevue, Lynnwood, and Federal Way — roughly 15 percent of Expeditors’ global tech workforce. CIO Courtney Hawkins filed a WARN Act notice with Washington state confirming the separations, which are scheduled to begin August 8 and conclude by December 31. The freight logistics company generated $11.07 billion in revenue in 2025. CEO Daniel Wall has cited AI-related productivity gains as a driver of operational change.
Sources: Crunchbase News, GeekWire
Azure Core CTO Marcus Fontoura Departs Microsoft as Tech Sector Executive Moves Accelerate
Microsoft technical fellow Marcus Fontoura is departing the company after serving as Azure Core’s chief technology officer, GeekWire reported June 12. Fontoura completed an earlier eight-year Microsoft tenure as a technical fellow and Bing partner architect before joining fintech firm Stone as CTO in 2022. He recently published A Platform Mindset, a book on scalable systems and team building. Judson Althoff, CEO of Microsoft’s Commercial Business and a 13-year Microsoft veteran, was separately appointed to GE Aerospace’s board of directors. Digimarc, a digital watermark company whose business the company says is growing with the AI boom, named Paul Carreiro as chief executive officer, effective July 6.
Sources: GeekWire
HR Leaders Push Agentic AI Adoption to Employees as SHRM Finds AI Use in HR Reaches 43%
Senior HR executives are actively promoting agentic AI adoption throughout their organizations, moving beyond leadership use cases to employee-facing deployment, HR Brew reported June 10. SHRM’s State of AI in HR 2026 report found AI use across HR functions climbed to 43 percent, up from 26 percent in 2024, with recruiting remaining the leading practice area at 27 percent. The report also found autonomous AI agents are entering the mainstream in recruitment, now handling candidate scheduling, resume rediscovery, background checks, and onboarding logistics. SHRM separately flagged accelerating candidate fraud as pushing verification deeper into the hiring funnel.
Curated by JD · samwise.agency