U.S. employers have announced 1,170,821 job cuts through November, a 54% increase from the same period last year and the highest level since 2020, according to data released by Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

For HR leaders facing pressure to reduce headcount, understanding what’s really driving cuts at other organizations provides critical context for those difficult conversations with leadership pe

ers. Job cuts aren’t dominate

d by AI The top reasons companies cite for workforce reductions reveal that traditional business decisions far outweigh technology displacement. Artificial intelligence was cited for 54,694 layoff plans through November. While that represents a concrete data point on