Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| despido | /desˈpido/ | masculine |
| recorte de personal | /rekoɾte de peɾsonal/ (from spelling rules) | masculine |
| reducción del plantel | /reduɡθjon del plantel/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /reduɡsjon del plantel/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
feminine |
In Spanish, the term for a layoff depends on the context of the dismissal. Despido is the most common way to express a layoff in a general sense, though it can refer to any termination of employment. If the layoff is specifically caused by budget cuts or downsizing rather than an individual's performance, use recorte de personal. Additionally, reducción del plantel can be used to describe a reduction in staff. To describe a 'mass layoff', use the phrase despido masivo.
What does it mean word for word?
The word despido is derived from the verb despedir, which means to say goodbye or to dismiss.
Which one should you use?
While despido can refer to any dismissal or firing, recorte de personal is used specifically when the layoff is a result of downsizing or budget cuts. Reducción del plantel is a feminine alternative for describing a reduction in staff.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Despido is a formal way to refer to a layoff. Similarly, recorte de personal is a formal and euphemistic term often used in corporate or news contexts to describe staff cuts. For official or legal contexts, you might encounter the phrase desvinculación laboral to mean 'employment termination' or the expression finalización de contrato, which can imply termination due to layoffs.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of despido is despidos.
How do you pronounce it?
/desˈpido/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, a despido is often accompanied by a finiquito, a mandatory final settlement payment that covers unpaid wages and vacation days.
- The word personal, used in recorte de personal, traces back to the Latin word for a theatrical mask.
- The word plantel, used in reducción del plantel, is actually a loanword from Catalan rather than being originally Spanish.
Examples in context
- El despido fue debido a la reestructuración de la empresaThe layoff was due to company restructuring
- La desvinculación laboral afectó a varios empleadosThe layoff affected several employees
- Me han despedido del trabajoI have been laid off from my job
- Juan quedó sin trabajo debido a la crisis económicaJuan lost his job due to the economic crisis
- La empresa decidió llevar a cabo un recorte de personalThe company decided to carry out a staff reduction
- El despido afectó a muchos trabajadores.The layoff affected many workers.
- No esperaba un despido tan repentino.I didn't expect such a sudden layoff.
- La empresa anunció un despido masivo hoy.The company announced a mass layoff today.
Example conversation
Sofía and Mateo are talking about news from their office.
- SofíaMateo, ¿escuchaste sobre el despido en ventas?Mateo, did you hear about the layoff in sales?
- MateoSí, Sofía, es una noticia muy triste.Yes, Sofía, it is very sad news.
- SofíaEspero que no haya otro despido pronto.I hope there isn't another layoff soon.
- MateoYo también, espero que todo mejore.Me too, I hope everything improves.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “layoff” translations and entries despido, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, del, despido, personal, plantel, recorte, reducción, CC BY-SA 4.0.
