Group 1 - Employers announced 35,553 layoffs in December, marking the lowest monthly total since July 2024, despite significant job cuts in the fourth quarter [1] - December hiring plans reached 10,496, the highest total for the month since 2022, indicating a positive trend after a year of high job cuts [2] - Planned hires for 2025 were down 34% from 2024, totaling 507,647, the lowest year-to-date total since 2010 [3] Group 2 - Employers announced 1.2 million job cuts in 2025, a 58% increase from 2024's 761,358, representing the highest level since 2020 [4] - The final quarter of 2025 saw 259,948 planned cuts, the worst for that quarter since 2008, with government reductions leading the layoffs [4] - Job openings fell in November, with a hiring rate of only 3.2%, resulting in 1.1 unemployed individuals for every available job, the highest ratio since early 2021 [5]

Hiring Trends - US employers reduced hiring plans in September [1] - Fewer job cuts were announced by US employers in September [1] Data Source - Data is from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas [1]