Tech layoff announcements increase in September as industry slashes 165,925 jobs in 2026 so far

When it comes to layoffs, there’s a mix of good and bad news. The good news is, U.S. layoff announcements were down as a whole in September, according to the latest data. But when job cuts are broken down by industry, things weren’t as rosy for tech. In fact, tech company layoff announcements were 77% higher in September than the month before. Here’s what you need to know. Overall layoffs fell in September, but rose in the tech sector A new report from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas sheds light on the job cuts that have been a staple of headlines this year. The firm’s latest report examines the September layoff numbers, which revealed stark contrasts. On the positive side, job cut announcements for the month by U.S.-based employers were actually down 18% from the month earlier. In August, companies announced 52,881 job cuts. In September, companies announced nearly 10,000 fewer cuts—just 43,281. Now for the bad news: Unfortunately, those falling layoff numbers don’t cut across all industries. As a matter of fact, multiple industries saw job-cut figures rise between August and September. The worst was in the tech industry. Between August and September, U.S.-based te…