US January Job Cuts Highest Since 2009

US-based employers announced 108,435 job cuts in January 2026, the highest level since October and the largest January total since 2009, compared to 33,553 cuts announced in December. “Generally, we see a high number of job cuts in Q1, but this is a high total for January. It means most of these plans were set at the end of 2025, signaling employers are less-than-optimistic about the outlook for 2026,” said Andy Challenger, chief revenue officer for Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Transportation announced the highest number (31,243), primarily due to UPS. The company announced it would cut 30K jobs after severing ties with Amazon. Technology announced 22,291 job cuts, with the bulk coming from Amazon (16K) as it restructures its layers of management. Healthcare companies and health products manufacturers announced 17,107 cuts, the most for the industry since April 2020. Meanwhile, employers announced 5,306 hiring plans, the lowest total for the month since records began in 2009.

US-based employers announced 35,553 job cuts in December 2025, the lowest since July 2024, down from 71,321 in November and 8% below the level seen in December 2024. “The year closed with the fewest announced layoff plans all year. While December is typically slow, this coupled with higher hiring plans, is a positive sign after a year of high job cutting plans,” said Andy Challenger, from Challenger, Gray & Christmas. In 2025, employers announced 1,206,374 job cuts, an increase of 58% from 2024 and the highest total since 2020. The Government led all industries in job cuts with 308,167, primarily in the Federal Government. Technology led in private-sector with 154,445. "Tech has been pivoting to both developing and implementing AI much more quickly than any other industry. This coupled with over-hiring over the last decade created a wave of job loss in the industry,” said Challenger. Meanwhile, employers announced 507,647 planned hires, down 34% from 2024 and the lowest since 2010

US-based employers announced 71,321 job cuts in November 2025, the highest for the month since 2022, compared to 57,727 a year earlier, and marking the eighth time this year job cuts were higher than the corresponding month one year earlier. However, layoffs fell from 153,074 in October which was the highest for an October month since 2003. Most cuts were announced by telecommunication providers (15,139), primarily from Verizon, followed by tech (12,377), food companies, particularly those that handle beef products (6,708), services (5,509), and retailers (3,290). Restructuring was the leading reason for job reductions, totaling 20,217. Through November, employers have announced 1,170,821 job cuts, the most since 2020 and a 54% compared to the first eleven months of 2024. Meanwhile, US employers have announced 9,074 hiring plans in November 2025, the least in three months.