Layoffs of U.S. workers were nearly 50% higher in May than they were a year ago, with reductions attributed to the Department of Government Efficiency ( DOGE ) remaining the leading reason for job cuts this year, according to a new report.

Global outplacement Challenger, Gray & Christmas released a report Thursday that said there were 93,816 job cuts announced by U.S. employers in May. That amounts to an increase of 47% from 63,816 announced last May, while last month's figure was down 12% from 105,441 cuts in April.

That brings the total number of job cuts announced this year to 696,309 – an increase of 80% from the 385,859 jobs cut in the first five months of 2024. This year's total is just 65,049 job cuts away from matching the 2024 annual total.

"Tariffs, funding cuts, consumer

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