A rising disconnect between macroeconomic stability and worker sentiment is fueling widespread workplace unease across the United States. Employee engagement plunged to an 11-year low of 29% in late 2026, while nearly a third of working adults actively dread losing their positions. Meanwhile, overall job cut announcements actually decreased by 44% through October compared to the prior year. Nevertheless, companies continue to reorganize budgets around artificial intelligence, leaving personnel vulnerable across key sectors like technology and transportation.
Key points
The technology, transportation, and food sectors have absorbed the largest share of recen…: The technology, transportation, and food sectors have absorbed the largest share of recent workforce reductions.
Employers are frequently using artificial intelligence as a primary justification to cut…: Employers are frequently using artificial intelligence as a primary justification to cut operating expenses and shift corporate resources.
High performance evaluations and direct involvement in artificial intelligence initiative…: High performance evaluations and direct involvement in artificial intelligence initiatives no longer ensure protection against sudden job cuts.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
In late October, Bashel Lubarsky had a feeling something was off when she got a DM from her co-worker on the way to work. Once she opened her email and saw a note announcing layoffs, Lubarsky suspected she'd been cut.
Minutes later, Lubarsky stepped off the subway to join an impromptu Zoom meeting with HR and got laid off in the middle of downtown Brooklyn, New York.
Up until that point, Lubarsky, 28, says she held two ideas in her head: On the one hand, she had a feeling the company would be going through another round of October layoffs considering it had done the same in 2025. On the other, she felt pretty secure in her job as a graphic designer and illustrator. She'd gotten a promotion earlier in the year, had essential skills used across multiple projects and jokes that she was likely the "cheapest" member of her team. "I never thought my job wasn't safe," Lubarsky tells CNBC Make It.
Lubarsky's experience hits home for many Americans these days. Despite official numbers saying the job market is…
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