More than 275,000 layoffs were announced last month, reaching levels not seen in the last five years since the world was thrown into chaos over the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a new report from Challenger Gray & Christmas that was published on Thursday, the majority of the layoffs came from the federal government.
The report highlights that the federal government announced plans to cut 216,215 jobs in March, almost 80% of the 275,240 layoffs announcements made by U.S. employers.
This marks the third-most layoffs in a month this decade, behind only April 2020 (671,129) and May 2020 (397,016).
Behind the federal government’s cuts is the Department of Government Efficiency, which is looking to slash funding and streamline the government. While DOGE has said it will do this by cutting waste, a majority of its savings thus far have involved departments shrinking their staff.
Compared to March 2024, the layoff numbers are up 205%, when only 90,309 cuts were announced, as well as being up60% from February 2025.
As for the other 59,025 cuts announced last month, the report highlighted that the biggest share was in technology and retail.
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“Job cut announcements were dominated last month by [DOGE] plans to eliminate positions in the federal government,” Andrew Challenger, senior vice president for the global outplacement and coaching firm, shared in the report. “It would have otherwise been a fairly quiet month for layoffs.”
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