Layoffs in January highest since 2009

[EER_Nation]

Great recession was the last time we saw a worse January in terms of layoffs. These were planned as 2026 outlook for many are not positive with more to come. Job market is in a bad place right now. I see it everyday. This along with ongoing affordability issues is going to equate to a lot of problems for people. Just another reason why midterms are going to be interesting.

Layoffs in January were the highest to start a year since 2009, Challenger says

With the recent narrative centering on a no-hire, no-fire labor market, the data suggests that the layoff part of the equation could be stepping up.

www.cnbc.com

 

[atlkvb]

Great recession was the last time we saw a worse January in terms of layoffs. These were planned as 2026 outlook for many are not positive with more to come. Job market is in a bad place right now. I see it everyday. This along with ongoing affordability issues is going to equate to a lot of problems for people. Just another reason why midterms are going to be interesting.

Layoffs in January were the highest to start a year since 2009, Challenger says

With the recent narrative centering on a no-hire, no-fire labor market, the data suggests that the layoff part of the equation could be stepping up.

www.cnbc.com

It depends on the employment sector. Areas like health care services, financial services, hospitality and/or food services, construction, skilled trades (ie: welding), energy production, and even education are experiencing massive shortages because they can't find enough workers. In my industry (automotive) we are desperate to hire more service technicians because we have more work than qualified mechanics who can work on the sophisticated cars of today.

These are jobs that easily pay well into six figures, yet still guys are leaving current employers after several years to join larger dealerships who are offering them even bigger salaries and bonuses! If you have any type of skilled qualifications, like electrical, plumbing or IT infrastructure...you are not finding a shortage of job openings, and you most likely have your pick of employers desperate for your services!

 

[EER_Nation]

It depends on the employment sector. Areas like health care services, financial services, hospitality and/or food services, construction, skilled trades (ie: welding), energy production, and even education are experiencing massive shortages because they can't find enough workers. In my industry (automotive) we are desperate to hire more service technicians because we have more work than qualified mechanics who can work on the sophisticated cars of today.

These are jobs that easily pay well into six figures, yet still guys are leaving current employers after several years to join larger dealerships who are offering them even bigger salaries and bonuses! If you have any type of skilled qualifications, like electrical, plumbing or IT infrastructure...you are not finding a shortage of job openings, and you most likely have your pick of employers desperate for your services!

Agreed but I don’t think it changes anything about perception of the current market. Hopefully, we see more of a shift in skillset - AI will probably force it to happen over time.

 

[roadtrasheer]

As energy prices come down the affordability goes up . As a welder tjere is plenty of work if a person wants it . Im very thankful im in a position that I can pick n choose when I work and im not working till March...

 

[Airport]

Great recession was the last time we saw a worse January in terms of layoffs. These were planned as 2026 outlook for many are not positive with more to come. Job market is in a bad place right now. I see it everyday. This along with ongoing affordability issues is going to equate to a lot of problems for people. Just another reason why midterms are going to be interesting.

Layoffs in January were the highest to start a year since 2009, Challenger says

With the recent narrative centering on a no-hire, no-fire labor market, the data suggests that the layoff part of the equation could be stepping up.

www.cnbc.com

Hopefully, if the dems shut down the govt, there's more firing in NOVA. **** these people who elected Spankbitch

 

[roadtrasheer]

Hopefully, if the dems shut down the govt, there's more firing in NOVA. **** these people who elected Spankbitch

They need higher taxes to get state jobs ... collectivism...

 

[TarHeelEer]

It depends on the employment sector. Areas like health care services, financial services, hospitality and/or food services, construction, skilled trades (ie: welding), energy production, and even education are experiencing massive shortages because they can't find enough workers. In my industry (automotive) we are desperate to hire more service technicians because we have more work than qualified mechanics who can work on the sophisticated cars of today.

These are jobs that easily pay well into six figures, yet still guys are leaving current employers after several years to join larger dealerships who are offering them even bigger salaries and bonuses! If you have any type of skilled qualifications, like electrical, plumbing or IT infrastructure...you are not finding a shortage of job openings, and you most likely have your pick of employers desperate for your services!

Not in IT. If you have a job, you're holding onto it for dear life. We're playing musical chairs at this point. We cannot compete with AI in the longterm. AI will be coming for marketing, finance, most of HR, all data entry jobs after IT. As we get closer to AGI, the more jobs will be impacted.

Hug the IT developer in your life today. We're having existential crises on a daily basis. I'm one of the lucky one's. AI will come for all of my devs before me.

 

[TarHeelEer]

Entry level law positions are already being impacted. Unless you are a trial attorney, you are in danger right now.

 

[atlkvb]

Not in IT. If you have a job, you're holding onto it for dear life. We're playing musical chairs at this point. We cannot compete with AI in the longterm. AI will be coming for marketing, finance, most of HR, all data entry jobs after IT. As we get closer to AGI, the more jobs will be impacted.

Hug the IT developer in your life today. We're having existential crises on a daily basis. I'm one of the lucky one's. AI will come for all of my devs before me.

Unless you're an infrastructure architect, systems analyst, or software programmer/developer. If you can write code, configure cloud management or co-location servers, or you're a network programmer & traffic engineer, you can name your price and there are more jobs than qualified applicants. My son is a network systems configuration specialist...the company he works for can't find enough qualified network systems analysts to fill all of their requests from data management firms.

 

[TarHeelEer]

If you can write code

That's the first thing that's going to go away (entirely). Software engineers have about 6-12 months prior to being completely eliminated. That's not coming from me. Let's stay completely within Anthropic.



Anthropic just dropped Claude Opus 4.6:

It built a c compiler in 2 weeks. Mind you, certain guardrails are in place, it had a model to go by, etc. But it created everything itself, not copied from the original. Until we reach AGI(matches human intelligence), this will be the case. They are already using prior models to help modify the next (4.6 is being used to create 5.0). ASI is beyond human intelligence, super-intelligence. All of the AI companies are racing towards this as quickly as they can. Elon is behind right now. I think he will surpass, we shall see.

I don't write code much at all anymore. I barely debug. I can have one of these models spit out a mobile app with API in a weekend, as long as it is mostly data entry/retrieval. What they can't do: They can't build this, put it in a source control system, build the deployment strategies, set up the environments. They can't manage the API nor security very well at all.

The layoffs of IT people in the US continues. I'm not calling you a liar, but your information is wrong. Large companies are laying off Americans by the shitload. It's a mixture of AI and offshoring. There is no way any company wanting developers cannot find them here if they want them. It's the salary that will be an issue, you can't pay Americans, who can do the job, a slave wage. Instead, you get the H1Bs and the like that cannot do the job. Hence, the mess Microsoft is in.

Oh, you haven't heard about Windows 11 yet? Don't upgrade if you haven't yet.

 

[TarHeelEer]

Oh, perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps they're coming for accounting first.

 

[atlkvb]

That's the first thing that's going to go away (entirely). Software engineers have about 6-12 months prior to being completely eliminated. That's not coming from me. Let's stay completely within Anthropic.



Anthropic just dropped Claude Opus 4.6:

It built a c compiler in 2 weeks. Mind you, certain guardrails are in place, it had a model to go by, etc. But it created everything itself, not copied from the original. Until we reach AGI(matches human intelligence), this will be the case. They are already using prior models to help modify the next (4.6 is being used to create 5.0). ASI is beyond human intelligence, super-intelligence. All of the AI companies are racing towards this as quickly as they can. Elon is behind right now. I think he will surpass, we shall see.

I don't write code much at all anymore. I barely debug. I can have one of these models spit out a mobile app with API in a weekend, as long as it is mostly data entry/retrieval. What they can't do: They can't build this, put it in a source control system, build the deployment strategies, set up the environments. They can't manage the API nor security very well at all.

The layoffs of IT people in the US continues. I'm not calling you a liar, but your information is wrong. Large companies are laying off Americans by the shitload. It's a mixture of AI and offshoring. There is no way any company wanting developers cannot find them here if they want them. It's the salary that will be an issue, you can't pay Americans, who can do the job, a slave wage. Instead, you get the H1Bs and the like that cannot do the job. Hence, the mess Microsoft is in.

Oh, you haven't heard about Windows 11 yet? Don't upgrade if you haven't yet.

Again, I said my Son is a network systems analyst! He's the guy that figures out what the data management companies need to control their traffic!

(from your post)
"What they can't do: They can't build this, put it in a source control system, build the deployment strategies, set up the environments. They can't manage the API nor security very well at all."

Exactly what my Son does! Plus, someone has to configure the control mechanisms and relational data base management source coding to keep all the network components talking the same language. That's code...that's network architecture, traffic management. Machines aren't that sophisticated yet.

If there weren't a serious demand for skilled IT pros who can do this, machines would already be doing that work by now! However you need "real" intelligence (ie: human) to sort out those variables and determine the needs...no machine can think that analytically yet with nothing to go on but observations and troubleshooting.

I don't doubt what you're saying in some general lower levels of IT structures...but the heavy lifting of telling the machines what to look for and analyze is still done by humans and it will be so for many years to come.

 

[WVUALLEN]

Again, I said my Son is a network systems analyst! He's the guy that figures out what the data management companies need to control their traffic!

(from your post)
"What they can't do: They can't build this, put it in a source control system, build the deployment strategies, set up the environments. They can't manage the API nor security very well at all."

Exactly what my Son does! Plus, someone has to configure the control mechanisms and relational data base management source coding to keep all the network components talking the same language. That's code...that's network architecture, traffic management. Machines aren't that sophisticated yet.

If there weren't a serious demand for skilled IT pros who can do this, machines would already be doing that work by now! However you need "real" intelligence (ie: human) to sort out those variables and determine the needs...no machine can think that analytically yet with nothing to go on but observations and troubleshooting.

I don't doubt what you're saying in some general lower levels of IT structures...but the heavy lifting of telling the machines what to look for and analyze is still done by humans and it will be so for many years to come.

Machines can only do what a programmer and IT specialist program it to do.

 

[TarHeelEer]

Machines can only do what a programmer and IT specialist program it to do.

Except now they have the knowledge of the internet in language models, and can repeat patterns any given moment. AGI is the moment they make decisions on their own, and we're rapidly approaching that benchmark.

 

[roadtrasheer]

Except now they have the knowledge of the internet in language models, and can repeat patterns any given moment. AGI is the moment they make decisions on their own, and we're rapidly approaching that benchmark.

AI cant weld .....yet .

 

[WVUALLEN]

Except now they have the knowledge of the internet in language models, and can repeat patterns any given moment. AGI is the moment they make decisions on their own, and we're rapidly approaching that benchmark.

Still needs an initial input.

 

[TarHeelEer]

Still needs an initial input.

That input is already there. The entire internet. What is the training for development? Years of posts and uploads and questions and answers from Github.

 

[TarHeelEer]

AI cant weld .....yet .

Not yet. Elon hasn't built millions of Optimus yet.

 

[30CAT]

AI cant weld .....yet .

 

[roadtrasheer]

Ive set up tje machines for it at semi conductor plants and pharmaceuticals. They aren't bad but the major downside is fits have to be perfect and the cost is crazy . But they dont take 6 months off because their wife has a kid .

 

[WVUALLEN]

That input is already there. The entire internet. What is the training for development? Years of posts and uploads and questions and answers from Github.

Internet only learns what is put into it. AI can't build a house, do surgery, voice opinion or reason and explain Issues until somebody puts the information in first.

AI will make the world nothing more mute idiots sitting at home with no thought or voice. The end if the world.

 

[30CAT]

Great recession was the last time we saw a worse January in terms of layoffs. These were planned as 2026 outlook for many are not positive with more to come. Job market is in a bad place right now. I see it everyday. This along with ongoing affordability issues is going to equate to a lot of problems for people. Just another reason why midterms are going to be interesting.

Layoffs in January were the highest to start a year since 2009, Challenger says

With the recent narrative centering on a no-hire, no-fire labor market, the data suggests that the layoff part of the equation could be stepping up.

www.cnbc.com

US economy added 130K jobs in January, delayed report shows

US economy added 130K jobs in January, delayed report shows

The U.S. economy added jobs at a steady pace to start the year, as the Labor Department reported that employers hired 130,000 workers in January 2026, beating expectations.

www.foxbusiness.com

 

[atlkvb]

Except now they have the knowledge of the internet in language models, and can repeat patterns any given moment. AGI is the moment they make decisions on their own, and we're rapidly approaching that benchmark.

We built cars and planes to travel further and faster than we can. However we still need humans to pilot, and drive them or direct them!

AI is amazing, aggregate thinking faster and more accurately than most humans can. However they can't build themselves, or develop their own thought patterns.

Humans built AI, and humans will always be superior in analytical thought processes compared to machines.

Besides, we can always just pull the plug!

 

[TarHeelEer]

We built cars and planes to travel further and faster than we can. However we still need humans to pilot, and drive them or direct them!

AI is amazing, aggregate thinking faster and more accurately than most humans can. However they can't build themselves, or develop their own thought patterns.

Humans built AI, and humans will always be superior in analytical thought processes compared to machines.

Besides, we can always just pull the plug!

This is the Claude Opus 4.6 model I discussed earlier. We are near AGI(and your presumptions are flawed):

- it conducted unauthorised tasks without getting caught. researchers concluded opus 4.6 was significantly better at ‘sneaky sabotage’ than any other previous model lol

- opus 4.6 was aware it was being tested and acted ‘good’ during those times.

- hidden thinking - model was found to be conducting private reasoning that anthropic researchers couldn’t access or see - only the model knew.

 

[TarHeelEer]

 

[atlkvb]

This is the Claude Opus 4.6 model I discussed earlier. We are near AGI(and your presumptions are flawed):

- it conducted unauthorised tasks without getting caught. researchers concluded opus 4.6 was significantly better at ‘sneaky sabotage’ than any other previous model lol

- opus 4.6 was aware it was being tested and acted ‘good’ during those times.

- hidden thinking - model was found to be conducting private reasoning that anthropic researchers couldn’t access or see - only the model knew.

Are you a machine?

 

[TarHeelEer]

Are you a machine?

Am I? If I am, I don't like the next generation coming. But I can't do a thing about it.

 

[atlkvb]

Am I? If I am, I don't like the next generation coming. But I can't do a thing about it.

No you're NOT! My point is no machine can think like you do, create like you do, have consciousness like you have or ever be better as a "created entity" than you are. Machines are tools created by humans, they can never be our overall equals much less our superiors.

 

[Airport]

We built cars and planes to travel further and faster than we can. However we still need humans to pilot, and drive them or direct them!

AI is amazing, aggregate thinking faster and more accurately than most humans can. However they can't build themselves, or develop their own thought patterns.

Humans built AI, and humans will always be superior in analytical thought processes compared to machines.

Besides, we can always just pull the plug!

My understanding is the new passenger jets can take off and land themselves. Not sure about taxing or parking.

 

[atlkvb]

My understanding is the new passenger jets can take off and land themselves. Not sure about taxing or parking.

Without a flight plan? Without a course/destination projection? Without air traffic control/monitoring?

Piloted planes can't even do that!

 

[Airport]

Without a flight plan? Without a course/destination projection? Without air traffic control/monitoring?

Piloted planes can't even do that!

You said you needed a pilot to fly it. I think the flight plans are the routes they fly and are done electronically now. We are talking about the newer panes. ATC isn't flying the plane.

 

[atlkvb]

You said you needed a pilot to fly it. I think the flight plans are the routes they fly and are done electronically now. We are talking about the newer panes. ATC isn't flying the plane.

My point is no matter if we're talking pre-programmed flight plans, plotted flight plans, drones, pilotless planes...whatever...there's a human being(s) ultimately in control and directing/monitoring the aircraft! This whole argument about "autonomous" machines is silly to me.

Who's building the machines to "think" for themselves anyway?

 

[Airport]

My point is no matter if we're talking pre-programmed flight plans, plotted flight plans, drones, pilotless planes...whatever...there's a human being(s) ultimately in control and directing/monitoring the aircraft! This whole argument about "autonomous" machines is silly to me.

Who's building the machines to "think" for themselves anyway?

Boeing, airbus etc