WPP intends to eliminate between several hundred and nearly one thousand jobs globally by the end of 2026. According to information published by Ad Age, the final number is expected to fall within the mid-to-high hundreds, representing approximately one percent of the holding company’s total workforce.
The company had 98,655 employees at the end of 2025. Its workforce was already 8.7 percent smaller than the previous year, following a 5.4 percent decline during 2024. The new cuts are therefore not an isolated decision, but a continuation of a process that has been underway for several years.
At the centre of the changes is Elevate28, a programme through which CEO Cindy Rose is attempting to return the holding company to growth by 2028. The plan foresees £500 million in annual savings, or approximately $678 million.
Most of the savings are expected to come from eliminating overlap in finance, human resources and other corporate functions, reducing real estate costs and selling parts of the company’s assets. The information available so far indicates that the new round of layoffs will primarily affect support positions and organisational layers performing similar tasks across different parts of the system.
Local and client-facing roles are expected to be less exposed, although WPP has not published a precise breakdown of the cuts by market, agency and business function. The restructuring has already changed the basic shape of the holding company. The business has been grouped into four units dedicated to creative services, production, media and enterprise solutions, while the former GroupM has been renamed WPP Media.
At the same time, part of the resources freed up is expected to be directed towards automation, generative artificial intelligence, technology infrastructure and integrated client solutions. WPP is therefore simultaneously reducing the number of roles within traditional corporate structures and increasing investment in an operating model in which a larger share of processes is expected to be consolidated and automated.
The question of how evenly the cuts will be distributed will remain open until the end of the year. For now, it is clear that Elevate28 will not stop at name changes, unit consolidations and management reorganisation.
