Job cuts in the United States in January reached the highest in 17 years

In January, American companies announced the largest layoffs since 2009, cutting more than 108,000 jobs. This was reported on February 5 by Bloomberg, citing data from Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc.

"We usually record a large number of job cuts in the first quarter, but this is the highest figure for January. Most of the plans were developed by the end of 2025, which indicates that employers are not too optimistic about the prospects for 2026," said Andy Challenger, the company's revenue director.

According to the report, the main reasons for the massive layoffs were the loss of major contracts, economic conditions, and company restructuring. Hiring plans in January decreased by 13% compared to last year and amounted to only 5,306 people. This is the lowest figure in the entire history of observations.

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On February 4, Reuters reported that one of the largest American newspapers, The Washington Post, began large-scale layoffs of employees amid financial difficulties. It was reported that the changes would affect all departments of the publication, with coverage of politics and public administration issues remaining a priority.

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