Layoffs and Job Security

The public conversation about layoffs and the published data on layoffs have almost nothing to do with each other, and the gap is worth understanding before you read another headline.

What the data says

Layoffs and discharges were about 1.77 million in June 2026. The 2019 average was 1.82 million, 2009 averaged 2.29 million, and the March 2020 spike reached 12.99 million. The lowest month in the whole series was April 2022, at 1.31 million.

So firing is running slightly below its pre-pandemic norm and far below any recession.

Why it still feels dangerous

Because the risk that changed is on the other side. Openings per unemployed person have fallen to about 1.04 from 1.21 in 2019, hires are down roughly 10 per cent, and the median unemployment spell has stretched from 9.2 weeks to 10.5. Losing a job is no more likely than in 2019; replacing it is harder.

And because low is still enormous

At the 2026 pace, layoffs and discharges add up to roughly 21 million separations a year. “Historically low” describes a rate, and the absolute number is that a very large group of people go through this annually even in a good year.

What to do in the first week

Download your pay records and anything documenting your work before your access is cut, because it usually goes on the last day. Diarize your option exercise window if you hold equity — that deadline is roughly 90 days and it is the only one here you cannot recover.

File for unemployment immediately rather than after your severance runs out; benefits are generally not backdated. And do not sign the agreement in the room. If you are 40 or over you have at least 21 days to consider it and 7 days to change your mind afterwards.

What it is not

Legal advice. Severance agreements are binding contracts and several of the rules below carry deadlines measured in days, so where money or a signature is at stake an employment lawyer is worth the consultation.

Articles in this section

• WARN Act Notices and What They Require 3 min read
• State Mini-WARN Laws That Go Further 3 min read
• Severance: What Is Standard and What Is Negotiable 3 min read
• Reading a Severance Agreement Before You Sign 3 min read
• Notice Periods Around the World 3 min read
• Signs of Trouble Before a Layoff Is Announced 3 min read
• Unemployment Insurance: Eligibility and Amounts 3 min read
• Layoffs, Furloughs and Reductions in Force 3 min read
• What Happens to Your Equity and Benefits in a Layoff 3 min read
• Industries With the Steadiest Employment 3 min read

Common questions

Are layoffs unusually high right now?

No. About 1.77 million in June 2026, below the 2019 average of 1.82 million and far below 2009's 2.29 million.

Then why does it feel so precarious?

Because re-employment got harder. Openings per unemployed fell to about 1.04 from 1.21, hires are down roughly 10 per cent, and searches run longer.

How many people are laid off in a year?

At the 2026 pace, roughly 21 million separations annually. A low rate applied to a large workforce is still a very large number.

Am I entitled to notice?

Under federal law only in larger layoffs at larger employers, and several states require more. Outside those rules, most US employment is at will.

Is severance required?

Not by federal law. It is required only where a contract, a policy or a plan creates the obligation u2014 or where a state mini-WARN law does.

How long does unemployment insurance last?

Traditionally 26 weeks, but that is a convention rather than a guarantee. Several states pay as few as 12 weeks and one pays up to 30.

Where to go next

Where the Jobs Are

That covers losing a job. The last section is about where the next one is likely to be.

Read it →