Layoffs Are Piling Up in U.S. Corporations, Raising Worker Anxiety

It’s a tough time to be looking for a job.

 Sizable layoffs continue to pile up, raising worker anxiety across sectors.

Amid wider economic uncertainty, some analysts say businesses are at a “no-hire, no-fire” standstill — prompting many to limit new hiring to only a few specialized roles or pause openings entirely.

At the same time, sizable layoffs continue to pile up, raising worker anxiety across sectors, Wyatte Grantham-Philips reported for the Associated Press (AP).

Some companies have pointed to rising operational costs stemming from President Donald Trump’s barrage of new tariffs and shifts in consumer spending. Others cite broader corporate restructuring — or a shift in resources toward artificial intelligence (AI).

Federal employees have faced additional uncertainty, affecting overall worker sentiment.

Shortly after Trump returned to office at the start of the year, federal jobs were cut by the thousands.

The record 43-day government shutdown also left many without paychecks.

The impasse also put key economic data on hold. In a delayed report released last week, the Labor Department said U.S. employers added a surprising 119,000 jobs in September.

But unemployment rose to 4.4%, and other troubling details emerged — including revisions showing the economy actually lost 4,000 jobs in August.

The shutdown created gaps in more recent hiring numbers as well, and the government says it won’t release a full jobs report for October. Meanwhile, layoffs are accelerating: HP expects to lay off between 4,000 and 6,000 employees.

This month, Verizon is slashing 13,000 jobs, while General Motors dismissed 1,700 workers across manufacturing sites in Michigan and Ohio in late October.

And in long-awaited cuts following its $8 billion merger with Skydance, Paramount plans to lay off about 2,000 employees — roughly 10% of its workforce — with about 1,000 of those cuts initiated in late October.