U.S. employers announced 43,994 planned job cuts in October while also reporting a sharp rise in planned hiring, offering two different signals about workforce decisions ahead of the federal jobs report.
Challenger, Gray & Christmas said Thursday that October’s announced reductions were 71% below the year-earlier total and the lowest October count since 2023. The figure was 713 higher than September’s 43,281, a 2% increase.
The tally covers announced plans, not completed layoffs. Food companies accounted for 9,677 announced cuts in October.
Planned hiring reached 444,692, up 57% from October 2025. Challenger, Gray & Christmas said that was the highest October total since at least 2009.
ADP said U.S. private employers added 86,000 jobs in October, a separate estimate from the announced cuts and hiring plans in the October ADP jobs report.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics is scheduled to release its October employment report Friday, Nov. 6, at 8:30 a.m. ET.
