America’s technology sector just posted a staggering 33,281 layoffs in October, dwarfing September’s 5,639 and marking the worst October for tech job cuts in more than two decades.
New data from executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas shows 141,159 tech workers have lost jobs so far in 2025, up from 120,470 during the same stretch last year. Overall U.S. job cuts have hit their highest level since the pandemic struck in 2020.
Meanwhile, October’s layoff surge hasn’t reached this intensity since 2003. That figure lands especially hard because new job creation nationwide has slumped to its weakest point in years.
Andy Challenger, workplace expert and chief revenue officer at the firm, attributed the bloodbath to multiple pressures. Some industries still rebalance after pandemic-era overhiring. Artificial intelligence adoption, softening consumer and corporate spending, and rising costs have triggered belt-tightening and hiring freezes across tech.
As a result, displaced workers face a brutal reentry. “Those laid off now are finding it harder to quickly secure new roles, which could further loosen the labor market,” Challenger noted.
Over the past two years, heavyweight tech employers have hemorrhaged thousands of positions. Former recruiters now work exhausting retail and catering gigs just to cover food, gas, and housing. Older job seekers struggle most, along with anyone carrying a layoff on their resume, regardless of past performance.
Ghost job listings, ads for positions that don’t actually exist, have made the landscape even more difficult to navigate.
For now, little relief appears on the horizon. Challenger said possible rate cuts and a strong November report might spark a late-season hiring push, but he does not anticipate a robust seasonal employment market for 2025.
