U.S. layoffs increased in March, but first-quarter layoffs were the lowest since 2022.

CoinJie.com April 2 news. On Thursday, employment services firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas released data showing that in March, U.S. employers announced 60,620 layoffs, up 25% month over month, but down sharply 78% year over year. Andy Challenger, workplace expert and Chief Revenue Officer at the company, said: “After excluding last year’s February and March federal layoff wave, layoffs in 2026 are broadly in line with the trend in 2025. Last year’s layoffs mainly focused on the government, retail and technology industries. This year, it’s technology, transportation and healthcare.” In the first quarter, companies announced a total of 217,362 layoffs, the lowest level for the same period since 2022. That figure fell 16% quarter over quarter and declined sharply 56% year over year. In March, the technology industry announced 18,720 layoffs; since the start of this year, the cumulative total has reached 52,050, up 40% year over year, the highest level for the same period since 2023. The transportation industry announced 32,241 layoffs this year; year over year, that surged 703%, the highest quarterly level in history. The report noted that transportation industries, including aviation and shipping, may continue to be affected by the protracted war between Iran. Among the reasons given for March layoffs, artificial intelligence ranked first (15,341 people, or 25%), followed by business closures (13,931), restructuring (8,726), and market and economic factors (6,597).