Challenger Job Cuts Report for FEBRUARY 2026

The global outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray and Christmas, Inc. released its job cuts report, for FEBRUARY, 2026:

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Job Cuts Announced During February 2026: 48,307

• Previous Month: 108,435

  > Change from previous month: -55.45% (-60,128 cuts)

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• One-Year Previous: 172,017

 > Change from one-year previous: -71.92% (-123,710 cuts)

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From Today's Report:

"...'February’s dip is a nice reprieve from the elevated job cut plans to start the year. With U.S. involvement in a growing war in Iran, the end of Q1 may bring more layoff plans as companies tighten belts amid uncertainty and higher costs,' said Andy Challenger, workplace expert and chief revenue officer for Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

'Tech is responding to a number of pressures right now. AI is the big story, but there are also global regulatory concerns, a slowdown in digital advertising driven by tariffs and economic uncertainty, and higher costs to both employ workers and access funding, forcing companies to make difficult decisions,' said Challenger.

In 2025, companies referenced AI for 54,836 announced layoff plans, 5% of total cuts during the year. Since 2023, when this reason was first tracked, AI has been cited in 91,753 job cut announcements, approximately 3% of all layoff plans announced in that period..."

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If corporate layoffs are high, consumer spending may decline, since there would be fewer people with steady jobs.

When corporate layoffs are low, this can mean that the job market is relatively tight, which can be a harbinger of wage inflation.

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Job Cuts - Month-by-Month Totals
FEBRUARY 2026 UPDATE
Copyright © Challenger, Gray and Christmas, Inc.

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• Click here to read the full Challenger, Gray and Christmas report

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Challenger Job Cuts Report for JANUARY 2026

The global outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray and Christmas, Inc. released its job cuts report, for JANUARY, 2026:

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Job Cuts Announced During January 2026: 108,435

• Previous Month: 35,553

  > Change from previous month: +205% (+72,882 cuts)

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• One-Year Previous: 49,795

 > Change from one-year previous: +117.76% (+58,640 cuts)

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From Today's Report:

"...HIRING PLANS IN JANUARY

Last month, employers announced 5,306 hiring plans, the lowest total for the month since Challenger began tracking hiring plans in 2009. Prior to last month’s total, 2023 saw the lowest January total for hiring with 5,376. It is down 13% from the 6,089 hiring plans announced in the same month last year. It is down 49% from the 10,496 hiring plans announced in December 2025...."

 ================

 

If corporate layoffs are high, consumer spending may decline, since there would be fewer people with steady jobs.

When corporate layoffs are low, this can mean that the job market is relatively tight, which can be a harbinger of wage inflation.

================

Job Cuts - Month-by-Month Totals
JANUARY 2026 UPDATE
Copyright © Challenger, Gray and Christmas, Inc.

================

• Click here to read the full Challenger, Gray and Christmas report

=================

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