Layoffs in January were the highest to start a year since 2009, Challenger says

 In January 2026, we have seen a surge in layoffs and a sharp drop in hiring plans from U.S. companies. We have not seen levels like this since the 2008-09 financial crisis. Employers have announced over 108,000 layoffs, which is more than double last year's January total. Planned hiring has fallen to just over 5,300 jobs, which is the lowest number in January we have seen on record. According to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, these numbers show that employers are anticipating the worst about the economic outlook for 2026. There is a large decline in job opportunities, weak private payroll growth, along with high profile layoffs from companies like UPS and Amazon. There are significant concerns that the labor market may be starting to weaken after a long period of stability.

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/05/layoff-and-hiring-announcements-hit-their-worst-january-levels-since-2009-challenger-says.html