Layoffs Closer To Drought Than Deluge: What 3 Sources Show About Jobs

Bill Conerly1.12K FollowersFollow5ShareSavePlay(5min)Comment(1)SummaryJob layoff announcements soared in 2025, up 58% from 2024. January's figures were high, though February 2026 came in low, according to Challenger, Gray and Christmas.It's the underlying layoff announcements that are false. The hard data shows the United States is closer to a layoff drought than a deluge.The law provides a strong incentive to over-announce future layoffs. Companies are subject to penalties if they do not warn employees of upcoming layoffs, but there are no penalties for announcing layoffs that don’t occur, nor for overstating layoffs.

Getty Images Job layoff announcements soared in 2025, up 58% from 2024. January’s figures were high, though February 2026 came in low, according to Challenger, Gray and Christmas. Unfortunately for those who watch the economy, the numbers are bogus. That’s notThis article was written byBill Conerly1.12K FollowersFollowDr. Bill Conerly connects the dots between the economy and business decisions. He has the unique combination of a Ph.D. in economics from Duke University and over 30 years’ experience helping companies adapt to changing economic conditions. He has worked in economics and corporate planning at two Fortune 500 corporations and at a major bank, where he was senior vice president. He has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. Companies have used Dr. Conerly’s expertise to help with decisions regarding capital expenditures, inventory levels, expansion into new markets, pricing, business models and financial structure. Dr. Conerly is an on-line contributor to Forbes.com and the author of The Flexible Stance: Thriving in a Boom/Bust Economy (2016) as well as Businomics (2007). He had been interviewed on the News Hour with Jim Lehrer, CNN and CNBC. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, and USA Today.