OHIO — There have been plenty of stories regarding layoffs and job cuts this year, and the numbers seem to back up that trend, according to a Challenger, Gray & Christmas Challenger Report for August 2025.
The report notes that employers based in the U.S. announced 85,979 job cuts last month. That’s a 39% increase from July and a 13% increase from August in 2024. Year to date, there have been 892,362 announced job cuts, the release states, “the highest YTD since 2020 when 1,963,458 were announced.”
“After the impact of DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) on the Federal Government, employers are citing economic and market factors as the driver of layoffs,” said Andrew Challenger, senior vice president and labor expert for Challenger, Gray & Christmas, in the report. “We’ve also seen a spike in cuts due to operation or store closings and bankruptcies this year compared to last.”
Here’s a breakdown of cuts in the Midwest:
The report notes the top five industries for YTD job cuts include:
- Government with 295,273 job cuts (the report cites DOGE as a leading factor)
- Technology with 102,239 job cuts
- Retail with 83,656 job cuts
- Services with 55,300 job cuts
- Financial with 44,986 job cuts
The report also drills down to specific regions and states. Within the Midwest, Ohio leads with the most YTD job cuts in 2025, at 39,491. The Buckeye State also led YTD last year, though with a much smaller 20,832 job cuts. That accounts for a more than 89% increase in YTD job cuts.
Overall, the Midwest has accounted for 97,086 job cuts so far this year, per the report. When compared against the 2024 YTD numbers, this is an almost 8.3% increase.
“September is typically when we begin to see large seasonal hiring announcements, which foretell how Retailers expect the holiday season to go,” Challenger said in the report. “Coming off the lowest August on record for hiring plans, it may be a troubling sign.”
View the full report here:
Spectrum News Staff
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