Hospital and health system layoff activity is down modestly in 2026 compared to 2025, and the number of jobs lost per reduction has nearly been cut in half, according to Becker’s reporting.
Here are six trends to know about health system layoffs in 2026 and 2025:
1. So far in 2026, 45 hospitals and health systems have announced workforce reductions between January and July, the most recent on July 28, compared to 59 between January and July 2025. In total, 93 hospitals reduced their headcounts in 2025, accounting for roughly 18,000 lost jobs.
2. The 2026 layoffs have included about 5,800 disclosed jobs total, compared to roughly 13,850 year over year. Average positions per reduction fell from about 235 in 2025 to about 140 in 2026 among employers that disclosed a figure. Several employers did not disclose a headcount, so the true totals are likely higher.
3. Two 2025 outliers have inflated the gap in job cuts. Upland, Pa.-based Crozer Health shared plans to shut down after months of court hearings and negotiations, laying off 2,651 employees across eight facilities between April 25 and May 2, 2025. Combined with Somerville, Mass-based Mass General Brigham’s roughly 1,500 cuts, those terminations account for about one-third of the first half of 2025’s total. Without them, the year-over-year drop in disclosed positions softens from about 65% to roughly 48%.
4. Layoffs in 2026 have picked up in pace as the year has gone on. The first quarter was quiet, but the pace accelerated by early summer. Marietta, Ga.-based Wellstar Health System’s 761-position cut and Fayetteville, N.C.-based Cape Fear Valley Health’s 200-position reduction both landed in July, pushing the month’s total close to July 2025 levels.
5. The type of cuts has changed. In 2025, layoffs were driven largely by closures, including those at Crozer Health, Orlando (Fla.) Health’s Rockledge Hospital, which eliminated 940 jobs in April 2025, and Glenn Medical Center in Willows, Calif., which cut 225 roles as part of its October closure. Those closures meant nursing, physician and full facility staff were affected alongside administration. In 2026, cuts have been concentrated more narrowly in back-office and non-patient-facing functions, including revenue cycle, IT and corporate or shared services consolidation.
6. In both years, systems pointed to rising costs of delivering care, including workforce and pharmaceutical costs, and federal cuts as reasons for cutting roles. In 2026, some systems cited reimbursement pressure and Medicare Advantage or Medicaid market exits as drivers.
Editor’s note: These figures reflect health system layoffs reported by Becker’s and are not a comprehensive census of hospital job cuts nationally. Some entries do not disclose exact headcounts and are excluded from position totals but included in employer counts. The 2026 list is still being updated and may gain entries.
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