HUMAN CAPITAL PULSE: TECHNOLOGY · ISSUE 4 · APRIL 2026
A monthly Human Capital benchmark for HR and People leaders in Technology: the sector's talking points and how culture, workforce and talent compare across your peers, built on Deltabase data covering 5,500+ companies and 11M employee reviews.
Editor's note
April was the month restructuring went mainstream in Technology. Oracle told thousands of employees by email that it was their last day, Microsoft offered its first voluntary buyout in 51 years, and Meta said it would cut around 10% of its workforce. Our turnover data shows pressure building before the announcements: Oracle's average monthly turnover in January to March 2026 was 0.90%, up from 0.61% a year earlier. This month's Spotlight: IBM vs Oracle.
Leroy Hall, Deltabase
The month in three
1. Oracle notifies thousands by email
What happened: At least 10,000 Oracle employees were affected in a round of cuts in which staff were told by email that it was their "last working day at the company", ITdaily reported on 2 April. RationalFX counted about 25,254 Oracle layoffs so far in 2026, the most of any company on its list.
The Deltabase lens: Culture: Oracle's Purpose NSS fell from −50.0% to −76.6% in 2025, and Career Progression from −67.9% to −75.8%, both the lowest in the peer set. Workforce: Tech roles make up 31.4% of Oracle's workforce and Professional Services 20.8%. Talent: 35.5% list cloud skills.
So what: How a cut is delivered becomes part of the culture record. Watch how an email-only exit shows up in Supportive Leadership and Purpose scores.
2. Microsoft offers its first voluntary buyout
What happened: Microsoft offered a one-time voluntary retirement programme to US employees at senior director level or below whose age plus years of service total 70 or more, excluding staff on sales incentive plans; CNBC reported about 7% of its US workforce is eligible. Chief People Officer Amy Coleman said it gives staff "the choice to take that next step on their own terms", according to Dataconomy, citing CNBC.
The Deltabase lens: Workforce: Microsoft's median tenure is 5.3 years, and its average monthly turnover was 1.43% in January to March 2026, up from 1.36% a year earlier. Culture: Work-Life Balance held steady at +20.4% in 2025 (+20.9% in 2024). Talent: 27.1% of its workforce list Azure skills.
So what: Voluntary exits protect goodwill but can take experience you need. Map who is eligible against critical skills before the window opens.
3. Meta to cut around 10% of its workforce
What happened: Meta plans to cut about 10% of its workforce, roughly 8,000 employees, and close about 6,000 open roles, according to an internal memo first published by Bloomberg.
The Deltabase lens: Culture: Meta's Work-Life Balance NSS fell from −38.6% to −65.3% in 2025, the lowest in the peer set. Workforce: Tech roles account for 30.6% of Meta's workforce and Marketing 15.5%; monthly turnover rose to 1.29% in March 2026, from 0.80% in February.
So what: Cutting into a workforce that already reports poor work-life balance raises the load on those who stay. Plan workload as carefully as headcount.
Stat of the month
0.90%: Oracle's average monthly turnover in January to March 2026, up from 0.61% a year earlier, the largest rise in our Technology peer set.
| Company | Workforce: avg monthly turnover, Jan–Mar 2026 (2025) | Culture: NSS 2025 | Culture: Career Progression NSS 2025 |
|---|
| Oracle | 0.90% (0.61%) | −1.4% | −75.8% |
| Meta Platforms | 1.10% (0.91%) | +7.5% | −4.5% |
| Microsoft | 1.43% (1.36%) | +10.9% | −47.8% |
| Alphabet | 0.70% (0.70%) | +14.8% | −49.1% |
| IBM | 0.68% (0.81%) | +6.4% | −56.4% |
| SAP | 0.47% (0.57%) | +10.1% | −35.4% |
Source: Deltabase Employee Turnover data, average monthly turnover January–March 2026 (January–March 2025 in brackets). Deltabase Culture data, Employee Net Sentiment Score (−100% to +100%), 2025 (Alphabet culture figures are based on Google LLC reviews).
Spotlight: IBM vs Oracle
Two long-tenure enterprise employers on different paths. On Culture, IBM held at +6.4% in 2025 (5,913 reviews) while Oracle fell to −1.4% (4,091 reviews), the only negative score in the peer set. Both score well on Work-Life Balance (+40.9% and +46.9%), but Oracle's Purpose (−76.6%) trails IBM's (−41.6%). On Workforce, median tenure is 5.5 years at IBM and 5.9 at Oracle, and Transformation roles make up 5.7% and 5.1% of their workforces. On Talent, 7.2% of IBM staff list ITIL skills, against 5.4% at Oracle, while 35.5% of Oracle staff list cloud skills against 23.5% at IBM.
For your People team
- Script every exit conversation and decide who delivers it; avoid email-only notifications.
- Map voluntary-exit eligibility against critical skills and succession plans.
- Track monthly turnover and Work-Life Balance for the teams that remain for six months after any cut.
See how your Human Capital compares with your Technology peers. Book a 30-minute benchmark walkthrough across culture, workforce and talent. Book a walkthrough →
Sources: ITdaily (2 April 2026); Dataconomy, citing CNBC (24 April 2026); TechSpot, citing CNBC (April 2026); WBUR/NPR via WWNO (24 April 2026); Deltabase Culture data; Deltabase Workforce data; Deltabase Talent data; Deltabase Employee Turnover data.