US employers announce 83,387 job cuts in April

(Sharecast News) - US employers announced 83,387 job cuts in April, according to Challenger, Gray and Christmas, the highest total in three months and up from 60,620 in March.

However, despite the month‑on‑month increase, layoffs were still 21% lower than in at the same time a year earlier, although the latest figure also marked the third‑highest April total since 2009.

The tech sector once again accounted for the largest share of reductions, with 33,361 planned cuts, followed by warehousing at 5,743 and services at 4,110.

Artificial intelligence was cited as the reason for 26% of all layoffs - leading all categories for the second consecutive month.

So far in 2026, employers have announced 300,749 job cuts, down 50% on the same period in 2025, with tech being the biggest contributor with 85,411 cuts, while AI‑related reductions totalled 49,135, making it the third‑largest driver of layoff plans this year.

"Technology companies continue to announce large-scale cuts and are leading all industries in layoff announcements. They are also often citing AI spend and innovation. Regardless of whether individual jobs are being replaced by AI, the money for those roles is," said Andy Challenger.

Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com