---
title: "Job-cut plans fell in September, and hiring plans for the month were the lowest since 2011"
url: "https://etf.net/news/job-cut-plans-fell-in-september-and-hiring-plans-for-the-month-were-the-lowest-since-2011-2026-10-01"
published_at: "2026-10-01T12:08:26.986Z"
updated_at: "2026-10-01T12:08:26.986Z"
byline: "ETF.net Research"
---

# Job-cut plans fell in September, and hiring plans for the month were the lowest since 2011

U.S. employers announced 43,281 job cuts in September, 18% fewer than in August, Challenger, Gray & Christmas said Thursday, October 1, 2026, and hiring plans for the month were the lowest since 2011.

By ETF.net Research. Published Oct 1, 2026.

U.S. employers announced **43,281** job cuts in September, Challenger, Gray & Christmas said Thursday morning. The total is 18% below August and 20% below September 2025, and September is the seventh month this year with fewer announced cuts than the same month a year earlier.

So far in 2026, employers have announced 573,195 cuts, 39% below the first nine months of 2025. It is the lowest total for that stretch since 2022, though 2023, 2024 and 2025 were all higher.

Most of that drop is government, where announcements are down 92%. Last year the sector accounted for 299,755 cuts through September, nearly all of them federal workers affected by DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, Challenger said then. Exclude government, and this year's announced cuts are down 15%, to 550,185 from 646,671.

Technology went the other way. It announced 10,799 cuts in September, up 77% from August, and 165,925 so far this year, up 54% from the same point in 2025. That year-to-date total is 29% of all cuts announced in 2026, more than any other industry.

## The usual holiday jump is missing

Employers announced plans to hire 90,787 workers in September, up from 12,325 in August, as seasonal announcements began. Even so, September is 23% below a year earlier, and the lowest total for the month since 2011. Hiring plans for the year so far are up 3% from 2025.

"Hiring plans are up over the year, but we're not seeing the surge of hiring plans that come with the holiday season, which suggests a very cautious approach," said Andy Challenger, workplace expert and chief revenue officer.

"Companies are in a wait-and-see period right now," he said. "Employers are facing high energy costs, an uncertain war in Iran, a rate hike that could make hiring more expensive, plus the likelihood of surging healthcare costs."

The reason named most often was market and economic conditions, in 8,789 cuts, with closings next at 7,719. Artificial intelligence was fifth for the month, named in 3,961 cuts, but it remains the leading reason for the year, about 21% of cuts announced in 2026.

Challenger counts what companies say they will do. ADP and Friday's report measure what happened. ADP, the payroll firm, said Wednesday that private employment rose by a net 90,000 in September, after a revised gain of 36,000 in August.

Initial claims for unemployment benefits were a seasonally adjusted 197,000 in the week ended September 19, the Labor Department said, and a new reading is due this morning.

Job openings were 7.079 million in August, down from 7.335 million in July, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Tuesday.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes the September jobs report on Friday, October 2, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time. A Reuters survey of economists expects a gain of 90,000 jobs. On our read, a gain above that would mean the job market was firmer than these cautious plans suggest, and a gain below it would mean the caution showed up in the jobs added.

Source: etf.net, https://etf.net/news/job-cut-plans-fell-in-september-and-hiring-plans-for-the-month-were-the-lowest-since-2011-2026-10-01. Please cite the page URL.