This is not the end of the world as we know it. Gasoline at the pump has also dropped. The odds of a rate hike need to decrease. Some of the better news about AI is not all it is cracked up to be. Companies are not doing a lot of new hiring.
U.S. employers announced 45,849 job cuts in June 2026, a 53% drop from May’s spike and a 4% decrease from the same month last year. Meanwhile, announced hiring plans plummeted to 10,933 workers, down 44% from May. Artificial intelligence (AI) remained the top driver of downsizing. [1, 2]
June 2026 Layoffs & Downsizing
- Total Cuts: 45,849 (the lowest monthly total since December 2025).
- Year-to-Date (YTD): Through June, companies announced 443,604 cuts—a 40% drop from the same period in 2025, but still the second-highest January-June total since 2020.
- Sector Focus: Technology took the hardest hit, announcing 15,503 cuts in June and 139,156 YTD. This marks an 83% YTD increase over 2025.
- Top Culprit: AI was the leading reason for cuts in June, accounting for 14,029 job losses. [1]
June 2026 Hiring Plans
- June Total: 10,933 announced hires, representing a 44% drop from May.
- YTD Total: Companies announced plans to hire 91,405 workers in the first half of the year, tracking 10% higher than the first half of 2025.
- Market Conditions: Despite the YTD bump, announced hiring remains historically low, contributing to a tightening labor market where unemployed workers are facing longer job searches. [2]
Access the full breakdown of data and economic tracking on the Challenger, Gray & Christmas Blog. [3]
If you’d like, I can:Detail the top sectors affected by AI-related layoffsCompare these figures against last year’s exact Q2 labor reportsHelp explore regional job market stats in the Farmington/Hartford areaLet me know how you’d like to narrow down this information.
AI responses may include mistakes.