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US Companies Announce Most January Job Cuts Since 2009

Bloomberg Markets
Thursday, February 5, 2026 at 12:51 PM
~4 min read
Labor Market

Original Report

US companies announced 108,435 job cuts in January, a 118% increase from a year earlier, marking the largest number of job cuts for any January since the depths of the Great Recession in 2009,...

US companies announced 108,435 job cuts in January, a 118% increase from a year earlier, marking the largest number of job cuts for any January since the depths of the Great Recession in 2009, according to data from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. Michael McKee reports on Bloomberg Television. (Source: Bloomberg)

Glass House Analysis

Labor market conditions shape the lived experience of millions of working families. When jobs are plentiful, workers have leverage to demand better wages and conditions; when they're scarce, the balance of power shifts to employers. This dynamic plays out daily in kitchen tables across America, where families make decisions about whether to ask for a raise, change jobs, or accept less-than-ideal conditions out of necessity.

The implications extend beyond the immediate news cycle. Every economic development creates ripples that affect employment, prices, and opportunities in ways that may not be immediately visible but are deeply felt. By tracking these connections, we can better understand how the economy truly works—not as an abstract machine, but as a human system shaped by and shaping the lives of millions.

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