Dell lays off 13,000 employees in 2023

Dell Technologies laid off thousands of employees throughout 2023, according to its latest filing, joining the growing number of employers that have carried out retrenchments in the past years.

Dell's latest filing to the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) revealed that the company had roughly 120,000 employees as of February 2, 2024.

This is down from the previous 133,000 employees it had as of February 2023, according to another SEC filing last year.

Dell said the company took measures throughout Fiscal Year 2024 to reduce costs, such as limiting external hiring and employee reorganisations.

"These actions resulted in a reduction in our overall headcount," the filing read. "Despite these difficult decisions, we continue focused efforts to empower our employees and attract, develop, and retain talent."

The reduction is much greater than the roughly five per cent layoffs announced by the organisation in its previous filing.

Dell's layoff announcement

Jeff Clarke, Dell's chief operating officer (COO), first announced in February 2023 that they will lay off "some members" of the company.

"There is no tougher decision, but one we had to make for our long-term health and success. Please know we'll support those impacted as they transition to their next opportunities," Clarke said in the announcement.

The COO said the move comes as the steps they've taken to stay ahead of downturn impacts are "no longer enough."

According to Clarke, the changes they've carried out aim to better structure the organisation in the future, reduce complexity, increase speed, and accelerate innovation.

"They'll help us focus on purpose-driven work and be in the best position to make the greatest difference for customers, Dell Technologies and each other," he said.

Following the reductions, Dell joins the growing list of organisations carrying out widespread layoffs across the workforce over the past years.