US Layoffs Fall to 43,281 in September, Lowest for the Month Since 2022

U.S. companies announced 43,281 job cuts in September, down 18% from August and about 20% year-over-year, marking the lowest September total since 2022, according to a Challenger, Gray & Christmas report released Oct. 1, 2026. Year-to-date layoffs through September totaled 573,195, a nearly 40% decline from the same period a year earlier. Planned hiring also weakened: firms announced 90,787 openings in September, down 23% year-over-year and the softest September hiring plan since 2011, though the first-nine-month total of 210,612 rose 3% annually. Technology led all sectors with 10,799 cuts in September, up 77% month-over-month, and 165,925 year-to-date, up 54% and 29% of the national total. Food manufacturing followed at 7,326. Workplace expert Andy Challenger cited high energy costs, war-related uncertainty, rate hikes and rising healthcare costs as reasons employers are holding back. Artificial intelligence was the most-cited reason for cuts year-to-date, at about 21% of announced plans.