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Savewith a NBCUniversal ProfileCreate your free profile or log in to save this articleNov. 6, 2025, 9:58 AM ESTBy Steve KopackU.S.-based companies announced more than 153,000 job cuts in October, the research firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported Thursday.“This is the highest total for October in over 20 years, and the highest total for a single month in the fourth quarter since 2008,” the firm said in a news release. From January through the end of October, employers have announced the elimination of nearly 1.1 million jobs. It’s the most Challenger has recorded since 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic shut down the global economy.“October’s pace of job cutting was much higher than average for the month,” Andy Challenger, the firm’s chief revenue officer, said in a statement. The last time there was a higher October monthly total was in 2003.“Some industries are correcting after the hiring boom of the pandemic, but this comes as AI adoption, softening consumer and corporate spending, and rising costs drive belt-tightening and hiring freezes,” he said.On Wednesday, the private payroll processor ADP released its own October jobs data, showing that employers added just 42,000 jobs in the month.The ADP report also flagged job losses in the leisure and hospitality sector as a potential sign of trouble ahead, given the industry’s acute sensitivity to consumer sentiment.ADP’s chief economist called the losses in hospitality and leisure a “concerning trend.” Both Challenger and ADP’s reports landed as major companies such as Amazon, IBM, UPS, Target, Microsoft, Paramount and General Motors announced plans to eliminate tens of thousands of jobs.Despite the wave of downbeat economic news, the Trump administration continues to deliver an upbeat take on the current environment.“Jobs are booming” and “inflation is falling,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday.However, the most recent available data paints a different picture.Inflation has also been on the rise. Prices as measured by the Consumer Price Index overall have risen every month since April.A spokesperson for the Treasury Department did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the Challenger report. Challenger’s report does not typically carry the same weight with economists and investors as federal jobs data, owing to its methodology. To arrive at its figures, the firm compiles the number of job cuts companies have publicly announced. But employers may not ultimately carry out all the cuts they roll out.Moreover, some of the job cuts that multinational companies announce could affect workers outside of the United States. Other headcount reductions could be achieved through attrition, rather than layoffs. The report also may not capture smaller layoffs over the long run.But in the midst of a federal data blackout caused by the government shutdown, Challenger’s latest report is being read more closely than usual.The federal government’s October jobs report that would traditionally be released Friday will not be published this week, due to the shutdown. Other key data about the U.S. economy like GDP and an inflation indicator called PCE, closely watched by the Federal Reserve, has also been delayed.Challenger equated the impact of AI on the current labor market to the rise of the internet in the early aughts. “Like in 2003, a disruptive technology is changing the landscape,” it said.”Technology continues to lead in private-sector job cuts as companies restructure amid AI integration, slower demand, and efficiency pressures,” Challenger said.But even firms that are not actively cutting jobs have warned that they do not plan to add to their headcount in the near term, with several pointing directly to AI’s impact on their personnel needs.On Wednesday night, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon told CNN that headcount at his company would likely remain steady as the nation’s largest bank rolls out AI internally. Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon also recently told his employees that the firm would “constrain headcount growth through the end of the year,” as it takes advantage of AI efficiencies, Bloomberg reported. Steve KopackSteve Kopack is a senior reporter at NBC News covering business and the economy.

- Latest News - November 6, 2025

U.S.-based companies announced more than 153,000 job cuts in October. So far this year, nearly 1.1 million job cuts have been announced, the most since 2020.

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Nov. 6, 2025, 11:21 AM ESTBy Rob WileLike much else in the U.S. economy, the casual restaurant sector is increasingly bifurcating into a handful of winners and a growing group of laggards. At issue are two seemingly irreconcilable challenges: Operating costs that continue to surge, forcing companies to raise prices in order to maintain their profit margins — and a consumer base anchored by low and middle-income households that faces growing financial instability amid a weakening job market.It’s led to pain for much of the chain-restaurant sector — with some established but long-struggling brands announcing that they are exploring potential sales. But as consumers’ perception of value evolves, and their wallets tighten, some surprising stalwarts in the sit-down sector are making a comeback. “That perception of affordable fast-food has gone out the window,” said Alicia Kelso, executive editor of Nation’s Restaurant News, an industry publication. The winnersThe biggest beneficiary of the current environment has been the casual table-service dining sector, where Chili’s is leading the pack.Last week, Chili’s parent company reported that sales had increased a massive 21% in its most recent quarter, with foot traffic surging 13%. The chain has undertaken a series of operational improvements like more efficient ovens, sprucing up locations, and trimming its menu offerings. But what is changing faster than the restaurants themselves is that consumers are increasingly willing to spend a little more for table service and equivalent or even higher-quality food than they can get at traditional fast-food and fast-casual spots, Kelso said. The same effect is happening at chains like Applebees and Olive Garden, each of which also posted sales gains in their latest quarters. Texas Roadhouse is also expected to support steady sales growth Thursday. “As people have less money to spend at restaurants, they’re looking for more bang for their buck,” Kelso said. “These places have swooped in and said, ‘We are here for you.’”The losersThe current environment has changed the definition of value, she said. No longer does it simply mean the cheapest option. That’s led to struggles for several other fast-food players. On Wednesday, McDonald’s said traffic among lower-income diners fell by nearly 10% during the most recent quarter, even as it reported sales growth that topped Wall Street estimates. Other chains have also begun highlighting the concerns of less-well-off customers. Wingstop saw domestic sales decline 5.6% in its most recent quarter. Chipotle cut its sales outlook for the third-straight quarter last week. “We remain in a low-hire, low-fire labor market,” Andrew Charles, a research analyst and managing director at TD Securities financial group, said in a note published last week. “That translates into a consumer outlook that remains segmented, with middle to low income earners continuing to struggle as well as entry-level young workers who have seen demand for their labor decline.”The consumer struggles come alongside seemingly unending cost increases for chains. Alongside the price of beef, which has surged to record highs, restaurants also face rising costs for rent and electricity. In some markets, labor costs have also jumped since President Donald Trump ramped up deportations and federal immigration enforcement.Since April 2020, the cost of eating out has climbed approximately 33%, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The outlookThe challenging environment for restaurants has resulted in a flurry of announcements indicating entire brands may be getting new ownership. On Tuesday, the parent company of Pizza Hut announced it was putting the stalwart restaurant chain up for sale after years of struggles. Denny’s announced a day earlier that it was being taken private in a $620 million deal that is slated to close early next year. And Apollo Global Management has withdrawn a $2.1 billion bid for Papa John’s pizza restaurants, amid ongoing fears about the trajectory of consumer spending. “It speaks to how intensely pressured the industry is right now,” Kelso said of the spate of sale statements. While some of these chains have faced ongoing issues, others are experiencing abrupt downturns after enjoying recent periods of strength — with no turnaround in sight. After more than half a decade of largely uninterrupted stock-price gains, Chipotle shares have declined by nearly 50% in 2025. Similar scenarios are playing out for the Mediterranean-focused chain Cava and the salad chain Sweetgreen, both of which reported weaker earnings in their most recent quarters after posting impressive gains in 2024. All three of these restaurants are part of what the industry refers to as the “fast casual” segment, a slightly more upscale version of old-school fast food that tends to cater to younger, working-professional diners.This segment is facing a particularly challenging outlook.“When you look at different age demographics of fast casual, the 25- to 34-year-old consumer seems to be impacted a bit more than others, and fast casual tends to have a higher concentration of those consumers within their guest portfolio,” Cava’s chief financial officer, Tricia Tolivar, said in a recent interview with CNBC.“It appears that the consumer is being more thoughtful around their dining occasions, and how frequently they are doing that,” she said.Rob WileRob Wile is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist covering breaking business stories for NBCNews.com.

- Latest News - November 6, 2025

The tough U.S. jobs market is creating new groups of casual and fast-food restaurant winners and losers.

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