Morgan Stanley Cutting 2,500 Jobs, 3% of Workforce
Morgan Stanley will eliminate approximately 2,500 positions, representing 3% of its 83,000-employee global workforce across investment banking, trading, wealth management and investment management. The reductions follow all-time high 2025 revenues and align with shifts in business focus, location requirements and performance criteria.
1. Layoff Details
Morgan Stanley plans to cut roughly 2,500 roles, equating to about 3% of its approximately 83,000 global staff. Affected areas include investment banking and trading, wealth management and investment management, with notifications beginning this week following initial alerts sent last week.
2. Strategic Rationale
The workforce reduction reflects a strategic shift toward refined business focus, adjusted location requirements and performance-based staffing. The move aims to optimize cost structures after record 2025 revenues and to redeploy resources into higher-priority initiatives.
3. Industry Trend
This reduction is part of a broader trend among leading firms seeking efficiency and AI integration. Recently, Block reduced its headcount by 40% and BlackRock trimmed about 1% of its global staff, underscoring a push toward leaner operations and technology-driven workflows.