So it’s hard to get fired but it’s also hard to get hired
U.S. 🇺🇸 employers announced 43,281 job cuts in September, down 18% MoM and 20% YoY, the lowest September total since 2022.
Q3 cuts also fell 43% from Q2.
But hiring plans remain weak.
Employers announced 90,787 planned hires in September, down 23% YoY and the lowest September total since 2011, with the usual seasonal hiring surge notably muted.
Tech was the outlier: 10,799 cuts, up 77% from August.
AI was cited in 3,961 September cuts and 120,136 year-to-date, around 21% of all announced cuts in 2026.
Source: Challenger, Gray & Christmas.