Jobs apocalypse: Britain’s biggest firms cut more than 130,000 roles in two years

Britain’s biggest businesses have axed more than 130,000 jobs over the past two years, a City AM analysis has found, laying bare the scale of pressure facing firms amid surging employment costs and the growing tide of automation. The analysis compiled more than 250 separate media reports of layoffs, job cuts and company administrations at major businesses since Labour took office in July 2024. It identified at least 137,000 jobs lost or announcements of planned job losses across top British companies. That includes the likes of carmaker Jaguar Land Rover, which earlier this year said it would cut as many as 4,000 roles, as well as hospitality firm Whitbread, which axed 3,800 roles, and supermarket Sainsbury’s, which last year cut 3,000 staff. The layoffs follow a jump in employment costs over the last two years, including hikes to national insurance contributions, minimum wage rises and a tightening of employment laws. Chancellor John Healey is expected to impose another above