Layoffs piling up as companies move to cut costs

It’s a tough time for the job market.

- By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS

Amid wider economic uncertainty, some analysts have said that businesses are at a “no hire, no fire” standstill. That's caused many to limit new work to a few specific roles, if not pause openings entirely. At the same time, some sizable layoffs have continued to pileup —raising worker anxieties across sectors.

Some companies have pointed to rising operational costs stemming from President Trump’s barrage of new tariffs and shifts in consumer spending. Others cite corporate restructuring more broadly — or, as with big names like Amazon, are redirecting money to artificial intelligence.

Federal employees have encountered additional doses of uncertainty, affecting worker sentiment around the job market overall.

Shortly after Trump returned to office at the start of the year, federal jobs were cut by the thousands. And many workers are now going without pay as the U.S. government shutdown nears its fourth week.

“A lot of people are looking around, scanning the job environment, scanning the opportunities that are available to them — whether it’s in the public or private sector,” said Jason Schloetzer, a professor at Georgetown University’s McDonough School. “And I think there’s a question mark around the long-term stability everywhere.”

Government hiring data are on hold during the shutdown, but earlier this month a survey by payroll company ADP showed that the private sector lost 32,000 jobs in September.

Here are some companies that have moved to cut jobs recently:

General Motors moved to lay off about 1,700 workers across its manufacturing sites in Michigan and Ohio on Wednesday, as the auto giant adjusts to slowing demand for electric vehicles.

Hundreds of additional employees are reportedly slated for “temporary layoffs.”