Almost half of all layoffs so far in 2025 have been driven by reductions related to government efficiency (DOGE) efforts to cut government funding and reduce the size of the federal workforce. For a new report Outplacement Challenger, from grey and Christmas.
The report shows that “Doge Actions” led to 283,172 job cuts in the first four months of 2025, while “Doge Dower Stream Impact” was cited as the reason for an additional 6,945 unemployment.
Together, this accounts for 48% of all job openings announced so far this year.
The majority of job cuts related to “Doge Actions” occurred in March, cutting 216,670 positions. Government employment cuts accounted for the majority of layoffs in all sectors last month, totaling 275,240 in March.
In April, job cuts caused by Doge plummeted, with just 2,919 cuts announced due to a government cost-cutting initiative led by tech billionaire Elon Musk.
However, April was the highest level since April 2020, and the highest level since April 2020, when he began reporting on job cuts in 1989.
Reasons for the April cuts include “market/economic situation,” tariffs and restructuring.
“While government cuts are front and center, job openings were cut across the sector last month. In general, businesses cite the economy and new technologies,” said Andrew Challenger, the company's senior vice president. “Employers will be slower to hire, limit employment plans and see what happens in trade, supply chain and consumer spending.”
In a surge in imports ahead of President Trump's tariffs, GDP shrank in the first quarter of 2025, announced in March, and later delayed 90 days, reaching economic growth calculations.
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5278325-doge-layoffs-job-cuts-report/
