August US Layoffs Jump 58%, Hiring Remains Weak
US job cuts increased by 58% in August compared to July, reaching 52,881 announcements. This marks a significant rise from 33,429 layoffs in July but remains lower than last year's figures of 85,979. The total number of job cuts this month is also the lowest for an August since 2022.
According to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, through the first eight months of the year, employers have announced 529,914 job cuts, a decline of 41% from the same period last year. Excluding government-related cuts, the decrease is smaller, with 507,685 layoffs compared to 597,089 in August 2025, representing a drop of around 15%.
Andy Challenger, workplace expert and chief revenue officer at Challenger, Gray & Christmas, notes that while companies are restructuring their workforces, the labor market has not entered a broad-based wave of layoffs. 'This is the quietest August since 2022, but it's generally on average for the month since the mid-2010s,' he said.
The largest source of job cuts this year remains technology companies, accounting for 29% of all announced layoffs with a total of 155,126. Technology firms continue to reorganize around artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and changing consumer demand, with companies like Uber, Microsoft, Apple, and Oracle making significant layoffs.
However, the Challenger report highlights that hiring remains a concern, as employers announced plans to hire only 12,325 workers in August, down 23% from July's 16,095. Through August, companies have announced plans to hire 119,825 workers, up 37% from last year but still below pre-pandemic levels.