An article summarized by Challenger, Gray, and Christmas:
U.S. employers announced 43,281 job cuts in September, down 18% from August and 20% from September 2025. Through the first nine months of 2026, employers have announced 573,195 cuts, 39% fewer than during the same period last year and the lowest January-September total since 2022. The third quarter also saw a significant decline, with 129,591 announced cuts, down 43% from Q2.
However, the headline numbers hide major differences between industries. Technology led job cuts, with 165,925 announced through September, up 54% from last year and accounting for 29% of all announced cuts. Transportation cuts jumped 190%, while food-sector cuts rose 76%. Meanwhile, media and news layoffs were lower overall: media cuts fell 63%, although the news sector itself has seen 1,901 cuts, up 9% from the same period last year.
Companies cited market and economic conditions, business closures, weaker demand and restructuring as major reasons for September layoffs. AI was the fifth-most cited reason in September, accounting for 3,961 cuts, but it remains the leading reason cited year-to-date, associated with 120,136 announced cuts, or about 21% of the total. At the same time, employers announced plans to hire 90,787 workers in September, largely because of seasonal hiring, bringing total announced hiring plans for 2026 to 210,612, slightly above last year's pace.
