FX.co ★ US Job Cuts Hit Fresh 2020-Highs on DOGE Layoffs

In March 2025, U.S. employers revealed plans to cut 275,240 jobs, marking the highest figure since May 2020. This is a significant increase from the 172,017 job cuts reported in February. Furthermore, the March 2025 total ranks as the third-highest monthly figure ever documented. According to Andrew Challenger, Senior Vice President at Challenger, Gray & Christmas, "Last month's job cut announcements were predominantly due to DOGE's plans to reduce positions in the federal government. Without these cuts, March would have been relatively quiet for layoffs." The Government sector led with 216,215 job losses, all within the federal government. Over the past two months, DOGE's measures accounted for 280,253 planned layoffs of federal workers and contractors, affecting 27 different agencies, as tracked by Challenger. Additionally, 4,429 layoffs resulted from downstream impacts, such as reduced federal aid or terminated contracts, mainly affecting Non-Profits and Health organizations. For the year so far, employers have announced 497,052 job cuts, establishing the highest year-to-date and quarterly total since the first quarter of 2009.