Layoffs in the U.S. have fallen to a four-year low, while employers' hiring plans are up 3% this year, according to new labor data.
uncertain
plans → fall → data
Employers have announced 573,195 job cuts through September this year, a nearly 40% decline from the first nine months of 2025, Challenger, Gray & Christmas said on Thursday.
asserted
Challenger → announce → Thursday
On a monthly basis, layoffs dropped 20% in September to 43,281 from a year earlier, the lowest level in four years, the outplacement firm said.
asserted
firm → drop → years
The data suggests the labor market remains solid, even if hiring isn't as strong as it was in the post-pandemic years.
uncertain
it → suggest → years
The figures come a day before the Labor Department's monthly jobs report, with economists forecasting that employers across the U.S. added 90,000 jobs in September.
asserted
employers → come → September
Employers have added an average of 71,000 new hires over the previous three months.
asserted
Employers → add → months
"The labor market is somewhere between stable and reaccelerating," PNC Economics analysts said in a Sept. 30 research note.
asserted
analysts → say → note
"We're seeing early signs that wage growth may be picking up again, which could make it more difficult for the Fed to reduce inflation without raising rates.
uncertain
Fed → see → rates
In another sign that companies are avoiding layoffs, initial jobless claims for the week of Sept. 26 declined by 1,000 to 197,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday.
uncertain
Department → avoid → Thursday
"Jobless claims continue to defy expectations and remain exceedingly low, dovetailing with the JOLTS report's layoff rate, which shows that while businesses aren't hiring at a rapid pace, they are reticent to let their current crop of workers go," Oxford Economics said in a Thursday research note, referring to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey data released Tuesday.
uncertain
Economics → continue → data
The JOLTS report showed that the pace of worker separations, which includes both layoffs and resignations, was unchanged from a month earlier, while hiring rose by 3.3%.
asserted
hiring → show → %
The solid jobs data has given the Federal Reserve an opening to raise interest rates as it seeks to push inflation toward its annual 2% target.
asserted
it → give → target
Last month, the central bank announced its
after inflation flared this year due to higher energy costs sparked by the Iran war.
asserted
inflation → announce → war
rate hikes could be in store later in 2026, according to economists.
uncertain
hikes → accord → economists
While CME FedWatch predicts the Fed is likely to skip an increase at its October meeting, the gauge shows a 60% probability of a quarter-point interest rate boost at the central bank's December meeting.
asserted
gauge → predict → meeting
(The Fed doesn't have a monetary policy meeting in November.)
Hiring plans in 2026
Through the first nine months of the year.
asserted
Fed → have → year
U.S. employers have announced plans to hire 210,612 workers, up 3% from the same period a year earlier, according to Challenger Gray.
uncertain
employers → announce → Gray
"Hiring plans are up over the year, but we're not seeing the surge of hiring plans that come with the holiday season, which suggests a very cautious approach," Andy Challenger, workplace expert and chief revenue officer for Challenger, Gray & Christmas, said in a statement.
uncertain
Challenger → see → statement
Spirit Halloween and Michaels have said they'll add 62,000 seasonal workers in 2026, down from 100,800 last year, Challenger Gray said.
asserted
Gray → say → 100,800
The Aporia
