The ‘no hire, no fire’ era may be coming to an end. U.S. employers announced 108,435 layoffs in January, the highest number in January since the 2009 financial crisis, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. The total was up 118% from January 2025.
Companies announced just 5,306 new hires, the lowest number in January since 2009, when Challenger started tracking the data. The transportation sector saw the highest level of cuts as UPS plans to eliminate more than 30,000 employees. Technology came in second place, after Amazon announced 16,000 job cuts.
Andy Challenger told CNBC the high total indicates that employers have adopted these plans by the end of 2025 and are “not particularly optimistic about the prospects for 2026.” Initial unemployment claims were 231,000 for the week ending Jan. 31, the highest since early December, although a brutal winter storm likely contributed to the spike.
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The ‘no hire, no fire’ era may be coming to an end. U.S. employers announced 108,435 layoffs in January, the highest number in January since the 2009 financial crisis, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. The total was up 118% from January 2025.
Companies announced just 5,306 new hires, the lowest number in January since 2009, when Challenger started tracking the data. The transportation sector saw the highest level of cuts as UPS plans to eliminate more than 30,000 employees. Technology came in second place, after Amazon announced 16,000 job cuts.
Andy Challenger told CNBC the high total indicates that employers have adopted these plans by the end of 2025 and are “not particularly optimistic about the prospects for 2026.” Initial unemployment claims were 231,000 for the week ending Jan. 31, the highest since early December, although a brutal winter storm likely contributed to the spike.
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