Layoffs are piling up, heightening worker anxiety. Here are some of the biggest recent job cuts [View all]

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https://apnews.com/article/amazon-ups-layoffs-economy-washington-71bfde72b358fddb9a22c15aa13fe848

Layoffs are piling up, heightening worker anxiety. Here are some of the biggest recent job cuts
By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS
Updated 8:20 AM CST, January 29, 2026

NEW YORK (AP) — As layoffs pile up, workers are feeling increasingly anxious about the job market.

In the U.S., economists have said that businesses are largely at a “no-hire, no fire” standstill, leading many to limit new work, if not pause openings entirely amid economic uncertainty. Hiring has stagnated overall — with the country adding a meager 50,000 jobs last month, down from a revised figure of 56,000 in November.

But a growing list of companies are also cutting jobs. Employers have initiated layoffs across sectors — with many pointing to rising operational costs that span from President Donald Trump’s barrage of new tariffs, stubborn inflation and shifts in spending from consumers, whose outlook on the U.S. economy recently plummeted to its lowest level since 2014. Others are still working to downsize their workforces after a pandemic-era hiring boom, particularly in e-commerce. At the same time, more and more businesses are reducing their workforces as they redirect money to artificial intelligence, often baked into wider corporate restructuring.

Beyond the private sector, thousands of federal government employees lost their jobs in cuts taken by the Trump administration last year — forcing many to look for new work. That’s further strained workers’ overall sentiment about finding stable employment today.

Here are a few companies that have announced some of the largest job cuts recently.

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