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Why do companies seem to prefer to cut middle management jobs?

Jan 31, 2024
Whatever the reason, shareholders seem to love hearing that jobs cuts are coming.
UPS announced nearly 12,000 layoffs on Tuesday. There have also been recent layoffs in industries like tech, media and finance.
Yuriko Nakao/Getty Images

What do all the layoffs mean in a supposedly "good" economy?

Jan 26, 2024
In the last few days, Microsoft, eBay and Salesforce have joined the list of companies that have made layoff announcements this month.
eBay announced plans to lay off an estimated 9% of their workforce.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Is layoff season shifting away from the holidays?

Jan 4, 2024
Employees who lose their jobs at the end of they year may vent on social media. That can hurt a company's reputation, experts say.
A layoff will go down easier if employees get regular updates on the company’s health, says HR consultant Deb Best.
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Spotify CEO cites "expensive" capital as factor in layoffs. What does that mean?

Dec 4, 2023
The music streaming service just announced its third round of layoffs this year after previous years of intensive borrowing.
For most of Spotify's existence, interest rates barely got above 2%. But once borrowing and debt got expensive, investors became interested in profitability over expansion at any cost.
Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images

It's a slow summer... for job cuts

Aug 4, 2023
People are scanning today's jobs report for signs of slower job creation and greater wage gains — as unemployment claims hover near pre-pandemic lows, and companies announce fewer layoffs.
“We’re seeing a lot of those individuals being picked up fairly quickly in medium-sized companies," said Jim McCoy with ManpowerGroup
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Latest round of layoffs at Gap Inc. reveal gaps in corporate strategy, analysts say

Apr 28, 2023
The company just announced it would cut 1,800 corporate jobs, in addition to 500 it eliminated last fall.
Gap’s interim CEO said in a statement that recent corporate layoffs are part of a strategy to simplify its operations.
Allison Dinner/Getty Images

Why are Ikea and Costco expanding as other retailers close stores and lay off staff?

Apr 21, 2023
Opening new stores may be a way for some retailers to position themselves for both a downturn and a recovery.
Someone who once shopped at Crate & Barrel may now feel more comfortable on an Ikea budget, which could partially explain the retailer's expansion plan.
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Laid-off workers are leaving unemployment benefits on the table

Apr 6, 2023
A lot of them don't even know they're eligible.
The University of Michigan's Luke Shaefer calls unemployment benefits “the most arcane and complicated” government program.
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

California retailer weathers the storm of tech layoffs and a "climate pandemic"

Mar 31, 2023
In the laid-back beach town of Santa Cruz, a local retailer adds wildfires and epic rain storms to the list of things to plan for.
Sonia McMoran consults her weather app to plan ahead for her store, above.
Courtesy of Sonia McMoran

Meta cuts 10,000 jobs in second wave of layoffs since November

Mar 14, 2023
Meta and other tech companies have been hiring aggressively in recent years but have recently begun to let some of those workers go.
Meta said Tuesday it will reduce the size of its recruiting team and make further cuts in its tech groups in late April, followed by its business groups in late May.
Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images