US EditionLast Month Was the Worst October for Layoffs Since 2003, Outplacement Firm Reports
Job cuts surged 175% in October 2025 with over 1 million layoffs this year as companies restructure amid AI and economic pressures, reports Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
- In October, employers announced 153,074 job cuts, the highest October since 2003, with 1 million layoffs reported in 2025, Challenger said.
- AI-Driven restructuring and slower demand, along with AI adoption and rising costs, prompted firms to cut jobs while the White House dissolved the monthly jobs report and Labor Department data remains unreleased amid the government shutdown .
- Companies cut large workforces, including 48,000 layoffs at UPS and potentially 153,000 at Amazon, with technology, retail, and warehousing sectors hardest-hit, Challenger reported.
- Laid-Off workers now face harder job searches, the report says year-end prospects are gloomy, and federal funding cuts plus lapsed SNAP benefits and Obamacare subsidies worsen hardship.
- Analysts say 2025 layoffs reached a 'recession-like' scale comparable to past crises, with tariffs and trade wars squeezing profits and forecasts predicting weak year-end hiring.
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Layoffs hit highest point in over two decades: report
Monthly layoffs in the United States hit a 22-year high in October, with companies reporting more than 153,000 planned job cuts, according to a recent report. The report from research firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas found that recent factors like “AI adoption, softening consumer and corporate spending, and rising costs” are driving companies to cut spending and stop hiring. “This is the highest total for October in over 20 years, and the highe…
'Trump’s economy suuuuucks!' Panic as biggest layoffs in 22 years hit major corporations
The US labor market, which in recent months had ground nearly to a halt, now appears to be entering a downward spiral.As reported by the Washington Post on Thursday, new data from corporate outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas found that employers in October announced 153,000 job cuts, whi...
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Last month was the worst October for layoffs since 2003, outplacement firm reports
MIAMI, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 05: President of the United States, Donald Trump, speaks onstage during day 1 of the America Business Forum at Kaseya Center on November 05, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for America Business Forum)
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