Glassdoor and Indeed parent company to cut 1,300 jobs as AI hiring tools ramp up

Recruit Holdings, the Japanese owner of employment platforms Indeed and Glassdoor, will eliminate roughly 1,300 positions—about six percent of its HR-technology workforce—to accelerate the rollout of AI-driven hiring tools.

The reductions touch research-and-development, growth, and people-and-sustainability units, with a concentration in the United States but impact across multiple regions. Recruit will also fold Glassdoor’s operations into Indeed, prompting the departure of Glassdoor chief executive Christian Sutherland-Wong on 1st October.

Chief executive Hisayuki “Deko” Idekoba framed the move as a response to a labor market still reliant on manual processes. He has previously said that one-third of Recruit’s new code is generated by AI and expects that share to hit 50 percent soon.

The restructuring follows sequential rounds of cuts—2,200 jobs in 2023 and 1,000 in 2024—as Recruit re-tools its platforms for generative AI features that match candidates and employers more efficiently. Similar rationales have underpinned layoffs this year at other large technology firms pursuing AI investments.

Recruit’s HR-technology division employs about 20,000 people after the latest reductions. Management argues that AI can decrease the industry’s “60–65 percent human-labor cost” and ultimately deliver a smoother hiring experience, though critics warn of further job displacement if automation accelerates.