Layoffs across the US were spiked in February, reaching the highest level since July 2020, led by extensive fires from government workers ordered by Elon Musk’s. Government Efficiency Bureau, or according to Doge, Autplacement Firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
Employers cut 172,017 jobs last month, up 245% from January, twice the number announced a year ago, the company said. This has the highest monthly layoffs since July 2020 when 262,649 cuts were announced, the company added.
Job cuts were primarily driven by the loss of federal employment directed by Doge. Doge-related unemployment has been reduced widely across federal agencies by targeting Newly hired workersregardless of work performance or whether the work is essential.
In some cases, some agencies scrambled to rehire workers who were fired under Doge’s policies, such as the U.S. Agriculture Bureau. Bring back bird flu specialists Someone who was accidentally cut.
The federal agency announced 62,242 job cuts last month, up 41,311% from the previous year, Challenger said. More federal cuts are underway in the Veterans Affairs Division I’m planning to cut There will be thousands of jobs in the coming months, but some government workers may choose to leave due to the uncertainty caused by layoffs, the group said.
“When a large layoff occurs, the rest of the staff often feel uneasy and uncertain. Many workers are likely to leave voluntarily,” said Glenger & Christmas, a workplace expert at Challenger.
The impact of Doge Cuts has not yet been featured in official government data. The Labor Bureau said Thursday that the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits has fallen from 21,000 to 221,000 for the week that ends March 1st.
On Friday, the monthly employment report is expected to show that the employer hired 159,000 workers in February. 143,000 in Januaryaccording to financial data company Factset. The unemployment rate is projected to remain stable at 4%. Some analysts hope that Doge ordered layoffs will appear in the report in the coming weeks or months.
Other sectors outside the federal government also fired workers last month, the challenger found. Retailers cut around 39,000 jobs, while tech companies cut 14,554 jobs in February, data shows.
Doge Cuts already has a “downstream” effect, Challenger said. For example, private nonprofits say they have cut around 900 jobs due to the effects of federal funding losses.
