JEF layoffs incoming?

Rich Handler posted a story on IG about how getting laid off was a great benefit to him 3+ decades ago and how all firms (including JEF) are facing tough decisions at the moment. Anyone have intel on the layoff situation at JEF? Feel like something could be imminent and am little worried…

34 Comments
 
Analyst 1 in IB - Cov

Rich Handler posted a story on IG about how getting laid off was a great benefit to him 3+ decades ago and how all firms (including JEF) are facing tough decisions at the moment. Anyone have intel on the layoff situation at JEF? Feel like something could be imminent and am little worried…

My advice if you are at Jefferies is that you leave anyway. All the Jef wannabe hardos will Monkey sh*t me but who cares.

From a logical standpoint:

It's a sweatshop but doesn't pay as good as Bulge unless you're a MD. So you aren't being compensated for your work and the brand isn't as good (especially after recent leaks)

From a more mental health perspective:

It's not healthy. IB is tough but honestly the advice I can give juniors is don't put up with toxic environments. If you're good then there's plenty of opportunity at different places.

Sponsors M&A (London)
 
Controversial

With all due respect, I think it is tough for outsiders to have a good sense for what it’s like to work at Jefferies. People love to shit on them, while disregarding the positive experiences that many (including myself) have at the firm. Pay not on par with BB? I make $110k a year as a first year, with bonuses historically on par or higher than the rest of the street. My bonus is all-cash. Neither of those is below street standard. Culture toxic? That hasn’t been my experience at all. This question was about potential layoffs at the firm… not your unsolicited advice on whether or not one should pack up and leave ahead of time lol.

 

Similarly, your opinion as an outsider is only sort of valid lol. I talk daily with people who have been with JEF for years and love the firm. Of course, some groups are sweatier than others but spare us all from the broad categorization that JEF is an absolute shithole. It's an ignorant take.

Jefferies now is worlds apart from what it was pre-COVID. Lorello is no longer running the show

 
Most Helpful

I've worked for Jef for 2 years for a team that is touted as having one of the best cultures on the street *not just the bank. That was the primary reason for me joining while having other offers. As a junior, I can tell you firsthand it was all BS. Although there are definitely teams that are chill-er & even respect their juniors time, most of the groups & seniors I've interacted with and see on a day to day basis are a-grade dicks. They berate juniors in unnecessarily crude ways. There is excessive micromanagement on many redundant tasks. There are literally groups I've seen which force every single junior to have their Teams status always on to track who is upto what. 

The greatest issue I have is with the term sweatshop. If you work for a bank that is labeled a sweatshop, but, that is because you're constantly churning deals or working on engagements - fine. Add that to your resume's and jump to the buyside. I feel there are many groups (mine included), that makes juniors do excessively mundane tasks at ridiculous hours. Example being subprime coverage efforts. Now all of Jef isn't bad and there are definitely superstars here and the experience I've had has prepped me mentally and technically to withstand many difficult work environments. That being said, when an MD constantly commends you for pulling all-nighters and back-to-back saturdays filling diligence requests for a deal that pays literally the lowest possible fees our team accepts & then during end of year reviews rips into you for insanely arbitrary and impossible to prove or disprove work habits -- it leaves a sour taste.

 

With all due respect, I think it is tough for outsiders to have a good sense for what it's like to work at Jefferies. People love to shit on them, while disregarding the positive experiences that many (including myself) have at the firm. Pay not on par with BB? I make $110k a year as a first year, with bonuses historically on par or higher than the rest of the street. My bonus is all-cash. Neither of those is below street standard. Culture toxic? That hasn't been my experience at all. This question was about potential layoffs at the firm… not your unsolicited advice on whether or not one should pack up and leave ahead of time lol.

I worked at Jefferies. Not long ago. For around 3 years. So I might argue if you are indeed an analyst 1/2 or even a stub associate that my experience of Jefferies is on par or greater than yours. But that's not my point.

You talk about bonus but fail to mention the absurd clawback if you leave that certainly isn't street standard. "LOL" as you would say.  

I'm not getting into a mud slinging match - if you like it great. Don't want my advice - just keep scrolling dude.

Sponsors M&A (London)
 
[Comment removed by mod team]
 

lmfaoooo sorry guys it never gets old posting this in a thread full of Analyst 1s worried about their career & life choices

 

Was on a call with an MD there 4 weeks ago.  He told me it was time to wrap up our call because he has to go join an MD meeting on VP layoffs.  I havent' asked him how that discussion went, but if you're a VP at JEF who had a slow '22 you should be preparing for the worst.  I guess a positive read could be that they had that call a month ago and there haven't been layoffs yet.  I dunno.  I just know it happened.

 
Funniest

I actually talk to Rich Handler on a daily basis (we do ayahuasca together) and in the midst of a bad trip he stared into my soul and told me he has seen eternity and there are no layoffs at JEF. He also then said "JEF Price Target Raised to $1M" but I think he just got carried away at that point. 

 

Dog my dad and all of my friends parents got laid off in 2008, my entire community got royally fucked from the opioid epidemic, homelessness, and we saw sprawling tent cities across our small city.

I’m terrified because I’ve seen how bad it can get.

 

As someone living in a country that has been stuck in a recession for ages, I agree with the statement that it is not as dramatic or even bleak as portrayed in many movies. 
 

It’s just that people will have much lower buying power. Restaurants and pubs will be a little empty during the weekends. No one is talking about the stock market or investing in general. Crowded property market as funds pull out from public market. Dim job prospects - hard to find corporate jobs. Gloom and doom everywhere. But life is still pretty good for small and medium-sized business and the top 1% 

 

Aut unde voluptatem expedita est iure quia. Qui illo qui aspernatur sed quae asperiores voluptas porro.

Sit ut rem molestiae dolorum. Fugiat non dicta officia quia. Natus pariatur sunt nihil qui.

Et perspiciatis omnis nulla natus laboriosam id. Nisi ut omnis voluptas tempore aut nisi omnis. Qui voluptatum facere iste sed. Dolorem facere dignissimos ab. Quaerat voluptas labore qui a molestias.

Voluptates quis eos occaecati sed qui neque et. Deleniti pariatur consectetur qui blanditiis.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (67) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”