Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

09/04/2026

August layoffs jumped from July — but they’re still well below last year.

U.S. employers announced 52,881 job cuts in August:
📈 Up 58% from July
📉 Down 38% from August 2025
📊 Lowest August total since 2022

Chief Revenue Officer Andy Challenger breaks down the latest numbers — including what happens when last year’s government-sector cuts are taken out of the comparison.

Read the full report through the link in our bio.

Economy

09/03/2026

BREAKING ON JOBS: In August, layoff plans by US-employers rose 58% from July to 52,881, but fell 38% from the same month last year, when 85,979 job cuts were recorded.

August's cuts were led by Consumer Products and Food, reflecting a consumer pull-back in spending and persistent high costs.

Tech continues to lead all industries YTD, followed by Transportation. AI leads all reasons for layoffs this year, but was not the leading reason cited in August. That was "Restructuring" which accounted for 16,173 layoff plans, the highest since January.

Employers announced plans to hire 12,325 workers in August, down 23% from the 16,095 plans announced in July, and up 725% from the 1,494 announced in August 2025. It is the highest August total since 2022, when employers announced 41,985 hiring plans.

So far this year, companies have announced plans to hire 119,825 workers, up 37% from the 87,626 plans announced through August 2025. It is the strongest January-to-August total since 2023.

“Employers are making plans to add workers, with 46% of those plans coming from manufacturing industries. The questions are how long will it take employers to actually fill these roles and will they find workers with the requisite skills,” said CRO Andrew Challenger.

Read the full report here: https://hubs.li/Q04wvczv0

09/01/2026

Almost nobody is getting let go. Almost nobody is quitting. And almost nobody is moving.

That stillness has a cost—especially for the 1.8 million Americans who have been out of work for six months or longer.

Chief Revenue Officer Andy Challenger explains why the labor market feels frozen despite low layoffs.

Watch the full market update on our YouTube channel, like, and subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ux870vLce0s

08/31/2026

CEO exits just hit a July low we haven't seen since 2022.

Only 120 leaders stepped down last month, and exits are down 23% year-to-date. After three years of rapid turnover at the top, boards are finally saying: stay put.

"After three years of increased CEO exit activity and despite the influx of change at organizations nationwide, companies are keeping their leaders," says our own Andy Challenger.

And here's the bright spot: even with the anti-DEI noise of the last two years, women are rising to the CEO role at a higher rate than in 2025 — closing in on the 28.7% record we set in 2023.

Is this stability a sign of confidence… or is the labor market just too frozen to move?

Read the full report:

The number of CEO changes at U.S. companies fell 13% to 120 in July from 138 in June. It is down 2% from the 123 CEO exits announced in the same month one year prior, according to a report released Monday by global outplacement and...

08/27/2026

“Where's the humanity?”

That's the question some job seekers are asking as they navigate a hiring process increasingly shaped by high application volumes, automated screening, ghost jobs and AI.

USA Today takes a closer look at why hiring can feel “broken” for candidates, citing Challenger data on recent job cuts and the particularly challenging environment facing workers in the technology sector.

The numbers tell part of the labor-market story. The experiences of people trying to find their next opportunity tell another.

Read the full story: https://hubs.li/Q04vxlqV0

08/25/2026

AI may be changing how work gets done. But how leaders communicate those changes can be just as consequential.

Axios reports that CEOs are becoming more careful about connecting AI adoption directly to layoffs as concerns about the technology's impact on employment grow.

The article cites Challenger's latest job-cut data and speaks with Chief Revenue Officer Andy Challenger about another consideration for employers: reputation.

How a company explains workforce changes can influence not only current employees, but also how prospective employees view the organization.

Read the Axios coverage: https://hubs.li/Q04vgbnB0

08/24/2026

Hiring jumped in July. 📈
U.S. employers announced 16,095 hiring plans — up 47% from June and the strongest July since 2022.
But there’s another story inside the numbers: where are those jobs being added?
Nicole Lobdell and Colleen Madden Blumenfeld break down what the latest Challenger data tells us about a labor market that may be shifting more than shrinking.
🔗 Read the July Challenger Report at the link in bio.

08/21/2026

The cost of a workforce reduction isn't limited to severance.

There can also be costs associated with disengagement, unwanted turnover, employer reputation and legal exposure — especially when departing employees aren't adequately supported.

That gives HR leaders a different way to approach the outplacement budget conversation: not simply as a people program, but as protection against broader business risk.

See how CHROs are building a stronger case with Finance: https://hubs.li/Q04tTMPN0

08/21/2026

Could hiring finally be picking up?

Two-thirds of U.S. employers say they plan to increase permanent hiring during the second half of 2026, according to data reported by Fortune.

That outlook comes after a difficult 2025, when Challenger tracked more than 1.2 million announced job cuts — the highest annual total since 2020.

Now employers say technology, healthcare, finance and accounting, marketing and other specialized roles are among their hiring priorities.

Fortune looks at where employers are adding talent and the skills they're having the most difficulty finding: https://hubs.li/Q04tSfgb0

08/13/2026

Many employees are balancing two full-time caregiving roles—raising children while also helping aging parents.

Known as the sandwich generation, these workers face unique challenges that can affect stress, productivity, and work-life balance.

We share what employers can do to better support these valuable team members.

Read more: https://hubs.li/Q04s-TKD0