American employers saw a sharp increase in layoffs in February! The Trump administration is the chief culprit for the large-scale layoffs.

According to data released by the employment consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas on Thursday, US employers announced 172,017 job cuts in February. This is the highest monthly number of job cuts since July 2020, and also the highest February monthly job cuts since 2019. The data shows that the number of job cuts in February was more than three times the number in January, and more than twice the number in February 2024. Additionally, so far this year, US employers have announced 221,812 job cuts, the highest level since 2009, which is 33% higher than the same period in 2024. Of the job cuts in February, more than a third were a result of the Trump administration's actions in reducing federal employees. Challenger, Gray & Christmas stated that a total of 62,242 job cuts were announced by 17 federal government agencies in February. This latest data is the clearest evidence yet that the Trump administration's policies have damaged the labor market. Andrew Challenger, Senior Vice President of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, stated, "The surge in job cuts in February comes from actions occurring at government efficiency departments, as well as government contract cancellations, concerns over trade wars, and bankruptcies." The Trump administration also wants to continue cutting more federal employees, but a federal judge has stopped his order to dismiss about 200,000 federal employees. Andrew Challenger stated, "How many more people will lose their jobs in the federal government remains to be seen. When large-scale layoffs occur, it often leads to the remaining employees feeling unsettled and uncertain. The likelihood of more employees voluntarily resigning is high." Following federal government departments, the retail industry and the technology industry announced the most job cuts in February, with 38,956 and 14,554 job cuts respectively. This brings the total number of job cuts in the retail industry for the first two months of this year to 45,375, an increase of 572% compared to the same period in 2024; the technology industry saw a total of 22,042 job cuts in the first two months of this year, a decrease from 28,218 in 2024. Meanwhile, despite the significant increase in job cuts announced by US employers in February, data also shows an increase in hiring intentions. US employers announced plans to hire more than 34,000 people in February, the highest February data since 2022.