U.S.-based employers announced 43,281 job cuts in September, down 18% from August and 20% from a year earlier, the lowest September total since 2022, according to the Challenger, Gray & Christmas report released Thursday. For the first nine months of the year, employers announced 573,195 job cuts, down 39% from the same period a year ago and the lowest total since 2022, while job cut announcements excluding the government sector fell 15% year over year. On the hiring side, employers announced plans to hire 90,787 workers in September, up sevenfold from August on seasonal hiring, though that total declined 23% year over year, and year-to-date hiring plans of 210,612 workers were up 3% from a year ago. Technology led all industries with 10,799 announced cuts in September, up 77% from August, and 165,925 cuts for the January-through-September period, up 54% year over year, accounting for 29% of all job cuts announced in 2026. Food producers disclosed 7,326 cuts in September, their second straight month above 7,000, bringing the year-to-date total to 29,693, up 76% year over year, while non-profit organizations announced 4,742 cuts in September, up from 672 in September 2025, for a nine-month total of 16,531, down 28% from a year ago. Andy Challenger, chief revenue officer for Challenger, Gray & Christmas, said companies are in a wait-and-see period, facing high energy costs, an uncertain war in Iran, a rate hike that could make hiring more expensive, and the likelihood of surging healthcare costs.
Challenger, Gray & Christmas is the source of the job-cuts report, but the article reports no company-specific development affecting it.
