Layoff statistics, 2024–2026.

Job market 5 stats

1. Median time-to-hire for US professional roles is 44 days.

   Across all industries; senior roles run 60–90 days.

   Source · BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), 2025 average

2. Full job search runs four to six months from first application to signed offer.

   Mid-career, professional roles. Senior and executive runs six to twelve months.

   Source · BLS Current Population Survey, weighted average across professional occupations

3. US employers cut 822,043 jobs in 2024, the highest non-pandemic year since 2009.

   Tech accounted for ~25% of total layoff announcements.

   Source · Challenger, Gray & Christmas annual layoffs report, January 2025

4. Tech industry laid off 263,180 workers in 2024 and 102,000+ in the first half of 2025.

   Largest single-year tech total since the dotcom bust.

   Source · Layoffs.fyi tracker, public-company announcements

5. Average US job tenure is 4.1 years as of 2024.

   Down from 4.6 years in 2014. Tech tenure averages 2.8 years.

   Source · BLS Employee Tenure Summary, September 2024

Severance 5 stats

1. Standard severance is one to two weeks of pay per year of service.

   Individual contributors. Manager bands run 1–3 weeks/yr; director 2–4; VP+ 3–6.

   Source · SHRM 2024 Severance Benchmarking Survey

2. C-suite severance averages 6–12 months of base salary plus pro-rated bonus.

   Often structured as salary continuation rather than a lump sum.

   Source · Mercer 2023 US Severance & Separation Benefits Survey

3. Federal WARN Act requires 60 days written notice for mass layoffs.

   Applies to employers with 100+ full-time employees; 50+ workers affected at a single site.

   Source · 29 U.S.C. § 2101 et seq. (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act)

4. Ten states have stricter mini-WARN laws than the federal WARN Act.

   California (75-employee threshold), New York (90 days notice), New Jersey (90 days + 1 week severance/year), Illinois, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Hawaii, Maryland (voluntary), Oregon, Vermont.

   Source · State labor departments; National Conference of State Legislatures

5. Age 40+ workers get a 21-day review window before signing a release.

   45 days for group layoffs. Plus a 7-day post-signing revocation period.

   Source · Older Workers Benefit Protection Act, 29 U.S.C. § 626(f)

Unemployment 4 stats

1. Average weekly unemployment benefit is $385 across all states.

   Range: $235 (Mississippi) to $1,033 (Massachusetts) for the maximum benefit.

   Source · US Department of Labor, Weekly Claims Summary, 2025 average

2. Standard unemployment duration is 26 weeks in 41 states.

   Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and a few others cap at 12–20 weeks.

   Source · US DOL Significant Provisions of State Unemployment Insurance Laws

3. Most states have a one-week unpaid waiting period before benefits start.

   Filing the same week as your layoff matters — the waiting period starts at filing, not at separation.

   Source · US DOL State Unemployment Insurance Comparison

4. Unemployment replaces roughly 35–50% of pre-layoff wages.

   Capped by each state's maximum weekly benefit. High earners hit the cap quickly.

   Source · BLS Unemployment Insurance Replacement Rate Study

Health coverage 5 stats

1. Average employer-sponsored health premium is $8,951/year for individual, $25,572/year for family.

   Total premium (employer + employee shares). The COBRA cost to the worker is 102% of this.

   Source · KFF 2024 Employer Health Benefits Survey

2. COBRA continuation typically lasts 18 months after job loss.

   Extended to 36 months for certain qualifying events (divorce, death of covered employee).

   Source · Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, 29 U.S.C. § 1161 et seq.

3. ACA Marketplace job-loss SEP is 60 days from coverage end.

   Job loss is a qualifying life event — you can enroll outside the normal November–January window.

   Source · HealthCare.gov Special Enrollment Period rules

4. ACA premium tax credit caps marketplace contribution at 8.5% of household income.

   For incomes above 400% of the Federal Poverty Level (the temporary expansion, current law as of 2025).

   Source · IRS Form 8962 instructions; Inflation Reduction Act of 2022

5. Federal Poverty Level for a household of 1 is $15,650 in 2025.

   Add $5,500 per additional household member. 400% FPL for a family of 4 is approximately $124,000.

   Source · HHS 2025 Poverty Guidelines

Demographics 4 stats

1. Workers age 50+ are unemployed 9.3 weeks longer than workers age 25–34.

   Median unemployment duration: 22.6 weeks for 55+ vs 13.3 weeks for 25–34.

   Source · BLS Current Population Survey, 2024 annual

2. Roughly 40% of laid-off workers experience a pay cut at their next role.

   Median pay cut among that group is 11%. Pay-cut rate is highest in tech (~55%) and finance (~38%).

   Source · Indeed Hiring Lab, "What Happens After a Layoff" report, 2024

3. About 35% of laid-off workers change industries when they take their next role.

   Industry-switch rate has climbed from 23% in 2019.

   Source · Indeed Hiring Lab, US Labor Market Update, 2024

4. Half of all US workers will be laid off at least once in their career.

   Lifetime prevalence based on longitudinal employment data.

   Source · BLS National Longitudinal Surveys (NLSY79 cohort)

Notes on the data

How we read it.