April 2025 Job Cuts Plunge, But DOGE Drives 2025 Layoffs to Pandemic-Era Highs

Challenger, Gray and Christmas, Inc: “U.S.-based employers announced 105,441 cuts in April, down 62% from the 275,240 job cuts in March. It is up 63% from the 64,789 cuts announced in the same month last year, according to a report released Thursday from global outplacement and executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. April’s total is the highest for the month since April 2020, when 671,129 cuts were announced, the highest number recorded in a month since Challenger began reporting on job cut announcements in 1989. With the exclusion of April 2020, last month’s total is the highest since 2009, when 132,590 job cut plans were announced. “Though the Government cuts are front and center, we saw job cuts across sectors last month. Generally, companies are citing the economy and new technology. Employers are slow to hire and limiting hiring plans as they wait and see what will happen with trade, supply chain, and consumer spending,” Andrew Challenger, Senior Vice President and workplace expert for Challenger, Gray & Christmas…”