Challenger, Gray & Christmas - Florida Region

06/05/2026

Job cuts rose to 97,006 in May, the highest total for the month since 2020, as employers continued restructuring efforts amid rapid AI adoption. According to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, AI led layoff reasons for the third consecutive month, while merger, acquisition, and bankruptcy-related cuts al...

06/01/2026

March CEO turnover rebounded after February's slowdown, with 170 CEO exits announced in March, up 20% month-over-month.

Key findings from the latest Challenger CEO Turnover Report:

• CEO exits increased to 170 in March
• Q1 turnover remains down 19% year-over-year
• 59 CEOs retired in March, the highest monthly retirement total in over a year
• Women accounted for 29.3% of incoming CEOs in March
• Founder departures accelerated, reaching 45 through the first quarter

"Companies are settling into the leaders they have. After two years of relentless change driven by economic uncertainty, AI disruption, and political volatility, we're seeing a recalibration rather than a continued acceleration." — Andy Challenger

Read the full report: https://hubs.li/Q04jF4wq0

March CEO turnover rebounded after February's slowdown, with 170 CEO exits announced in March, up 20% month-over-month.

05/28/2026

We took the Department of Labor's "Make America AI-Ready" course in full. Here's what HR leaders should know.

✅ It works as a baseline. Seven days. Ten minutes a day. Delivered by text so workers without reliable internet aren't left behind.
✅ It teaches the right instincts. Prompting, verification, and keeping a human in the loop.

⚠️ It stops short of fluency. The course doesn't address sycophancy, can't be queried like a real AI, and assumes learners already have strong critical thinking skills.

AI is reshaping the labor market. In April 2026, 21,490 job cuts cited AI as the reason — more than 1 in 4, and the top reason for the second straight month.

If you're rolling this out to your workforce, treat it as Lesson 1. Pair it with role-specific training, hands-on practice, and the judgment-building work the federal course leaves out.

Our full review: https://hubs.li/Q04h0X390

05/27/2026

Teen jobs are expected to fall to the lowest level ever after reaching the lowest level on record in 2025. Some of the same issues plaguing teen employment persist including rising inflation, high interest rates, and weary consumers.

05/20/2026

Poor succession planning costs public companies an estimated $1 trillion in market value each year, the Harvard Business Review reports. By contrast, organizations with strong plans in place tend to see materially higher investor returns.

Leadership transitions can stall strategy and raise investor concerns if they aren’t handled deliberately.

The companies that navigate transitions best treat succession planning as an ongoing discipline. They align HR and board priorities early, evaluate internal talent consistently, and build executive readiness before change becomes urgent.

Explore our full article for practical guidance and tools to strengthen your CEO succession-planning process.

https://lnkd.in/e6KNdax5

05/15/2026

Every dollar spent on executive coaching returns an average of 5.7x its investment. Because when leaders operate with clearer judgment and stronger alignment to business priorities, teams move with more focus and decisions carry through more effectively.

In complex workforce environments, that impact becomes even more pronounced. Challenges like shifting expectations and evolving team dynamics don’t resolve cleanly. Coaching creates the space to work through those nuances in a way that strengthens both individual leadership and organizational performance.

That kind of impact depends on how coaching is designed. Programs that are tailored to business goals and structured around clear outcomes are the ones that deliver measurable results.

Explore how executive coaching can align with your performance and retention goals at the link in our comments.

05/07/2026

NEW on Jobs: Employers in the U.S. announced plans to cut 83,387 jobs in April, a 38% increase over March. For the year, cuts are down 50%. Excluding the government sector cuts, layoff plans are down 10% from the same period last year.

For the second straight month, AI led all stated reasons for U.S. job cuts. AI was cited in 21,490 of them, more than 1 in 4.

Year-to-date, AI has been named in 49,135 cuts, 16% of the 2026 total, up from 13% just a month ago.

"Technology companies continue to announce large-scale cuts and are leading all industries in layoff announcements. They're also often citing AI spend and innovation. Regardless of whether individual jobs are being replaced by AI, the money for those roles is." said Andrew Challenger.

Top Industries for Job Cut Plans in 2026
Technology — 85,411
Transportation — 33,479
Health Care/Products — 27,162
Education — 15,260

Meanwhile, hiring plans are down 13% from the same period last year.

Top Hiring Industries in 2026
Automotive — 12,258
Entertainment/Leisure — 8,261
Aerospace/Defense — 7,366
Government — 7,268

Get the full report: https://hubs.li/Q04fMrVM0

05/06/2026

The story inside February's CEO numbers worth watching: women are entering the corner office at a higher rate AND staying longer in the first two months of the year.
▪️ 25.7% of new CEOs YTD are women, up from 24.1% in early 2025
▪️ Outgoing women CEOs dropped to 19% from 24% YoY
"Last year's data suggested women were being disproportionately cycled out as DEI rhetoric peaked. These numbers suggest stabilization — the kind that compounds over time if companies stay committed to the pipeline." — Andy Challenger

Read more at https://hubs.li/Q04dMJBd0

04/16/2026

Many executives step into senior roles without full preparation for the strategic demands they face, and the cost of that gap shows up quickly in decision-making and team stability.

Executive coaching can be transformative. But without a clear purpose, it easily becomes just another conversation.

Early alignment makes all the difference. When coaching is tied to a specific business need (e.g. a leadership transition, a promotion, or a period of organizational change) it accelerates both individual effectiveness and organizational outcomes.

Coaching works best when it’s treated like the strategic investment it is. Defined upfront, measured against outcomes, and deployed at the moments that matter most.

Read the full article:

Executive coaching drives measurable business results when aligned to clear purpose. Learn when coaching delivers the greatest impact — and how to set it up for success.

04/15/2026

The debate over AI and jobs is getting louder, and companies and workers want to know what exactly is going on.

Goldman Sachs has a warning for tech workers displaced by AI: finding a new role may take longer, and many are earning less when they do. This is backed up by Challenger's data: tech leads all industries in layoff plans in 2026. Meanwhile, 90% of those job cuts that are attributed to AI are occurring at tech companies.

At the same time, Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee recently pushed back on fears that AI will drive unemployment to extreme levels, noting the labor market has historically adapted to technological change. According to Challenger, just 3.5% of layoffs are being attributed to AI.

AI is clearly reshaping the workforce in real time:
• Certain roles, especially in tech, are being displaced
• Companies are actively investing in this technology and expect workers to learn it
• Widespread, sustained mass unemployment is far from certain

The takeaway for organizations and workers is the same: adaptation is critical.

Companies need to think strategically about their talent and this new and evolving resource. Workers need to be proactive in building skills that complement AI. Leadership needs to oversee implementation.