TechFlow News, January 30: According to JINSHI Data, this week multiple major U.S. companies announced plans to lay off tens of thousands of employees—the latest signal that firms are beginning to streamline their workforces after years of aggressive hiring.
Companies including Amazon, United Parcel Service (UPS), Dow Chemical, Nike, and The Home Depot stated they will collectively cut more than 52,000 jobs. Several of these firms cited persistent economic uncertainty and mounting pressure from investments in artificial intelligence as reasons necessitating organizational streamlining.
This latest round of layoffs is concentrated among a small number of large enterprises, yet it highlights concerns voiced by some Federal Reserve policymakers and private-sector economists: the once red-hot U.S. labor market is gradually weakening.
David Mericle, Goldman Sachs’ Chief U.S. Economist, stated: “Companies are discussing layoffs with increasing frequency—and are clearly eager to leverage AI to reduce labor costs.”
