Quick answer
- The latest layoff statistics: US employers had 1.6 million layoffs and discharges in September 2026, a rate of 1.0% of employment (BLS JOLTS).
- That is down from 1.82 million in September 2025. Announced job cuts through October 2026 were 617,189, down 44% from a year earlier (Challenger, Gray & Christmas).
- Weekly initial unemployment claims were 200,000 in the week ending November 7, 2026 (US Department of Labor).
The most current layoff statistics show 1.6 million layoffs and discharges in September 2026, or 1.0% of all US employment, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), released November 3, 2026. Layoffs in 2026 are running slightly below 2025 and close to their pre-pandemic level. Below are the federal numbers by month and industry, the announced job cuts behind the headlines, weekly claims, and what the federal WARN Act requires before a mass layoff.
Layoffs and discharges now
JOLTS is the broadest federal count of layoffs. It surveys a sample of business and government employers each month on how many people left and why. "Layoffs and discharges" covers separations started by the employer, so it includes firings as well as layoffs and does not split the two.
- 1.64 million layoffs and discharges in September 2026, seasonally adjusted, a rate of 1.0%. BLS called both "little changed." The figure is preliminary and will be revised.
- A year earlier, in September 2025, the level was 1.82 million and the rate 1.1%. The year-over-year drop is about 10% (Workzenly calculation from BLS data).
- Private employers accounted for 1.56 million (rate 1.1%) and government for 82,000 (rate 0.4%).
- Total separations were 5.3 million (rate 3.3%), and quits were 3.4 million (rate 2.1%). Workers quit about twice as often as they were laid off (Workzenly calculation from BLS data).
- The largest monthly change by industry was a drop of 70,000 layoffs and discharges in health care and social assistance.
BLS will publish October 2026 JOLTS data on December 1, 2026.
What this means for employers. A 1.0% monthly rate means that in a typical month, about 1 in 100 US workers is laid off or let go. Most separations are still voluntary, so for most small employers employee turnover from quits costs more than layoffs do. When you do let someone go, the paperwork and final pay rules matter more than the macro trend.
Layoff data since 2019
Outside the spring of 2020, layoffs have moved in a narrow band. The table shows the average monthly level for each year and the range of the monthly rate, both from seasonally adjusted BLS series.
- The pandemic peak was 12.99 million layoffs and discharges in March 2020, a rate of 8.6%. April 2020 followed at 9.17 million (7.0%).
- The low came in 2021: monthly layoffs bottomed at 1.31 million in October 2021, and the rate sat at 0.9% for much of 2021 and 2022 as employers held on to staff.
- Layoffs rose steadily from 2022 to 2025. The average month in 2025 had about 1.76 million layoffs and discharges, still below 2019's 1.82 million (Workzenly calculation from BLS data).
- From January to September 2026 the average was about 1.73 million, roughly 2% below the same months of 2025 (Workzenly calculation from BLS data). The highest month of 2026 so far was March, at 1.88 million (1.2%).
| Year | Average monthly layoffs and discharges | Monthly rate range | September rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1.82 million | 1.1% to 1.3% | 1.3% |
| 2020 | 3.41 million | 1.1% to 8.6% | 1.1% |
| 2021 | 1.42 million | 0.9% to 1.1% | 1.0% |
| 2022 | 1.47 million | 0.9% to 1.0% | 0.9% |
| 2023 | 1.65 million | 1.0% to 1.2% | 1.0% |
| 2024 | 1.68 million | 0.9% to 1.2% | 1.1% |
| 2025 | 1.76 million | 1.0% to 1.2% | 1.1% |
| 2026 (Jan to Sep) | 1.73 million | 1.0% to 1.2% | 1.0% (preliminary) |
Source: BLS JOLTS series JTS000000000000000LDL and JTS000000000000000LDR, seasonally adjusted. Annual averages are a Workzenly calculation from the monthly levels, not an official BLS annual total.
What this means for employers. Layoffs in 2026 are ordinary by historical standards. Headlines about big-company cuts are real, but they do not show up as a surge in the federal totals. Plan staffing around your own demand, not the news cycle.
Layoff statistics by industry
Layoff rates vary widely by industry. Seasonal and project-based work, such as entertainment venues and construction, lays people off more often than health care or government.
| Industry | Sept 2025 level | Sept 2026 level | Sept 2025 rate | Sept 2026 rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professional and business services | 448,000 | 419,000 | 2.0% | 1.9% |
| Leisure and hospitality | 290,000 | 244,000 | 1.7% | 1.4% |
| Health care and social assistance | 185,000 | 154,000 | 0.8% | 0.6% |
| Retail trade | 158,000 | 151,000 | 1.0% | 1.0% |
| Accommodation and food services | 185,000 | 151,000 | 1.3% | 1.1% |
| Construction | 194,000 | 138,000 | 2.3% | 1.6% |
| Transportation, warehousing and utilities | 108,000 | 113,000 | 1.5% | 1.6% |
| Manufacturing | 111,000 | 99,000 | 0.9% | 0.8% |
| Information | 38,000 | 46,000 | 1.3% | 1.7% |
| Government | 80,000 | 82,000 | 0.3% | 0.4% |
- Professional and business services had the most layoffs and discharges by number, 419,000, about a quarter of the national total.
- Construction showed the largest yearly improvement: 138,000 layoffs and discharges, down from 194,000, and a rate of 1.6%, down from 2.3%. See our construction workforce page for crews that move from site to site.
- Information, which includes software publishing and telecommunications, rose to a 1.7% rate from 1.3%, one of the few industries where layoffs increased.
- Federal government layoffs and discharges were 5,000 (0.2%), down from 9,000, while state and local government rose to 78,000 from 70,000.
What this means for employers. If you run a seasonal or project-based business, layoffs are part of the calendar, so build your process before you need it: a standard notice, a termination letter template, and a checklist for final pay and benefits.
Layoffs 2026: announced job cuts
Outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas counts job cuts that US-based employers announce publicly. These are plans, not confirmed separations, and some never happen. Its monthly report is a widely cited source for layoff reasons and for the technology layoffs in the news. Its latest report, published November 5, 2026, covers October.
- Employers announced 43,994 job cuts in October 2026, up 2% from September's 43,281 and down 71% from 153,074 in October 2025. Challenger called it a three-year low for October.
- From January to October 2026, announced cuts totaled 617,189, down 44% from 1,099,500 in the same period of 2025.
- Technology led all industries with 171,501 cuts, up 21% from 141,159 a year earlier.
- Government cuts fell 93% to 23,049, and retail fell 80% to 18,126.
- Employers also announced plans to hire 655,304 workers through October, up 34%, including 470,400 seasonal hires, up 26%.
- Voluntary exit offers were not counted in October's total.
Reasons for layoffs in 2026
| Reason cited (Challenger category) | Announced cuts, Jan to Oct 2026 | Share of all cuts |
|---|---|---|
| Market/economic conditions | 130,531 | 21.1% |
| Artificial intelligence | 121,401 | 19.7% |
| Closings | 109,342 | 17.7% |
| Restructuring | 85,391 | 13.8% |
| Demand downturn | 21,347 | 3.5% |
Shares are a Workzenly calculation from Challenger's counts. Challenger itself puts AI at "approximately 20% of all cuts." Market and economic conditions overtook AI as the leading reason in October.
Why the two sources differ. JOLTS counts about 1.6 million actual layoffs and discharges in a single month, while Challenger counts about 617,000 announced cuts in ten months. JOLTS includes every firing and small-business layoff from a random sample; Challenger tracks only public announcements, which come mostly from large employers.
What this means for employers. AI and tech cuts dominate headlines, but they come from a narrow set of large employers. For a restaurant, clinic or contractor, the reasons that matter are local: demand, a lost contract, a closed location.
Unemployment claims
The US Department of Labor's weekly claims report is the fastest layoff signal, because it counts new applications for unemployment insurance every week. It does not count people who are fired for cause or who do not apply.
- Seasonally adjusted initial claims were 200,000 in the week ending November 7, 2026, up 9,000 from the prior week's revised 191,000 (release dated November 12, 2026).
- The 4-week moving average was 195,250, unchanged from the week before.
- Unadjusted initial claims were 206,982, compared with 238,729 in the comparable week of 2025, about 13% lower (Workzenly calculation from DOL data).
- Insured unemployment, the number of people receiving state benefits, was 1,697,000 in the week ending October 31, 2026, seasonally adjusted, an insured unemployment rate of 1.1%.
- Former federal civilian employees filed 585 initial claims in the week ending October 31, 2026.
- No state was on the Extended Benefits program in the week ending October 24, 2026.
What this means for employers. Claims near 200,000 a week are low by historical standards, which matches the JOLTS picture. When a former employee files, your state will ask you to confirm wages and the reason for separation, so keep the termination record and final paycheck details on file. State rates and conditions vary; see unemployment rate by state.
What happens after a layoff
The BLS Displaced Workers Survey, run every two years as a supplement to the Current Population Survey, follows people who lost jobs because a plant closed, there was not enough work, or their position was abolished. The latest edition, released August 27, 2026, covers job losses from January 2023 to December 2025.
- 3.3 million workers were displaced from jobs they had held for at least 3 years, up 746,000 from the 2021 to 2023 period. Including workers with shorter tenure, 7.4 million were displaced.
- 44.4% lost their job because the position or shift was abolished, 32.6% because the plant or company closed or moved, and 22.9% because of insufficient work.
- In January 2026, 66.1% were reemployed, about the same as 65.7% two years earlier. 18.3% were unemployed and 15.7% had left the labor force.
- Age matters: 72.9% of displaced workers ages 25 to 54 were reemployed, against 57.3% at ages 55 to 64 and 38.6% at 65 and older.
- Only about 49% of reemployed full-time workers earned as much as or more than in their lost job, down from about 62% in the prior survey.
- Manufacturing accounted for 19% of long-tenured displaced workers, professional and business services for 16%, and retail trade for 10%.
What this means for employers. About half of reemployed displaced workers earn less than they did before, which is why severance pay, a clear PTO payout and a fast final paycheck matter to the people leaving. They also shape how your remaining staff see the company.
Mass layoff statistics and WARN rules
The federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act sets the line between an ordinary layoff and a mass layoff that needs advance notice. The definitions come from 29 U.S.C. 2101; the US Department of Labor's WARN page notes that only federal courts enforce the Act.
- Who is covered: employers with 100 or more employees, not counting part-time staff, or 100 or more employees who together work at least 4,000 hours a week, not counting overtime.
- Plant closing: shutting a single site, or units within it, that causes job loss for 50 or more full-time employees in any 30-day period.
- Mass layoff: a reduction in force that causes job loss in any 30-day period for at least 500 full-time employees, or 50 to 499 if they are at least 33% of the full-time staff at the site.
- Notice: 60 days of written notice to affected employees or their union, the state's rapid response unit, and the local chief elected official (29 U.S.C. 2102).
- Penalty: back pay and benefits for each day of violation, up to 60 days, plus a civil penalty of up to $500 a day owed to the local government unless the employer pays workers within three weeks (29 U.S.C. 2104).
Some states have their own "mini-WARN" laws with lower thresholds or longer notice, so check your state labor department before any reduction in force. This section is general information, not legal advice.
What this means for employers. Most small businesses fall below the 100-employee threshold, but state laws and your own policies still apply. Even without a WARN duty, an at-will employer should put the reason, last day, final pay and benefits end date in writing, and keep a signed copy. Your employee handbook is the place to set out how layoffs and recalls work.
About this data
This page draws on five sources. BLS JOLTS is monthly; September 2026 data were released November 3, 2026, and October data are scheduled for December 1, 2026. Recent JOLTS months are preliminary and revised. The Department of Labor's unemployment insurance claims report is weekly. Challenger, Gray & Christmas publishes its job cuts report monthly; it counts announcements, not confirmed layoffs. The BLS Displaced Workers Survey runs every two years. WARN Act rules come from the federal statute. Where we compute averages, shares or changes, we label them as Workzenly calculations. We review this page when new releases come out. Journalists, students and bloggers are welcome to cite this page with a link, and we recommend also citing the original source for each figure.
More workforce statistics: Unemployment rate by state · Employee turnover statistics · Hiring statistics · Small business statistics.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary," September 2026 data, released November 3, 2026. bls.gov/news.release/jolts.nr0.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, JOLTS Table 5, "Layoffs and discharges levels and rates by industry and region, seasonally adjusted," September 2026. bls.gov/news.release/jolts.t05.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, series JTS000000000000000LDL, layoffs and discharges level, total nonfarm, seasonally adjusted, January 2019 to September 2026. data.bls.gov
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, series JTS000000000000000LDR, layoffs and discharges rate, total nonfarm, seasonally adjusted, January 2019 to September 2026. data.bls.gov
- U.S. Department of Labor, "Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims," release of November 12, 2026 (week ending November 7, 2026). dol.gov/ui/data.pdf
- Challenger, Gray & Christmas, "October Layoffs at Three-Year Low; Seasonal Hiring Plans Up 26%," November 5, 2026. challengergray.com
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Worker Displacement: 2023-2025," released August 27, 2026. bls.gov/news.release/disp.nr0.htm
- Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, 29 U.S.C. 2101, 2102 and 2104, via Cornell Legal Information Institute. law.cornell.edu
- U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, "Plant Closings and Layoffs (WARN)." dol.gov
Frequently asked questions
How many people are laid off each month in the US?
Employers recorded 1.6 million layoffs and discharges in September 2026, a rate of 1.0% of employment, according to the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey released November 3, 2026. Monthly layoffs have ranged from about 1.64 to 1.88 million in 2026, close to the 2019 average of about 1.8 million.
Are layoffs going up in 2026?
Not by the main federal measure. BLS JOLTS counted 1.64 million layoffs and discharges in September 2026, down from 1.82 million in September 2025. Announced job cuts tracked by Challenger, Gray & Christmas also fell: 617,189 through October 2026, down 44% from the same period of 2025.
Which industry has the most layoffs?
By number, professional and business services had the most layoffs and discharges in September 2026, at 419,000, according to BLS JOLTS. By rate, arts, entertainment and recreation was highest at 3.5% of employment. Among announced cuts, Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported technology led with 171,501 through October 2026.
How many layoffs in 2026 are because of AI?
Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported that employers cited AI in 121,401 announced job cuts through October 2026, about 20% of all announced cuts. In October, market and economic conditions overtook AI as the top reason for the year, at 130,531 cuts. These are reasons given in announcements, not a federal count.
What counts as a mass layoff under the WARN Act?
Under federal law, 29 U.S.C. 2101, a mass layoff is a reduction in force that causes job loss within any 30-day period for at least 500 full-time employees, or for 50 to 499 if they make up at least 33% of the full-time staff at one site. Covered employers must give 60 days' written notice.
How many people file for unemployment each week?
The US Department of Labor reported 200,000 seasonally adjusted initial unemployment claims in the week ending November 7, 2026, with a 4-week moving average of 195,250. Unadjusted claims were 206,982, compared with 238,729 in the same week of 2025, according to the release dated November 12, 2026.