October Layoffs Reach Highest Level for the Month in 22 Years: Challenger

A hiring ad is displayed at a store in Columbia, Md., on Sept. 18, 2025. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch TimesPlanned job cuts for October reached the highest level for the month in 22 years, and the highest for any month in the fourth quarter since 2008, new data released on Nov. 6 show.Layoffs announced in October surged 175 percent from the same time a year ago to 153,074, according to global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray, and Christmas. This is also up 183 percent from September, when U.S.-based employers planned 54,064 job cuts.