Here's What They're Saying vs. What's Actually Happening
"The numbers in ADP's grim report were not caused by the administration's sweeping tariff agenda, but by the recent government shutdown and recent deportations of undocumented immigrants. The jobs data would 'rebalance' in the future, and next year, the numbers are going to be fantastic."
— Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, CNBC Interview, December 3, 2025
This is the highest level of announced layoffs since the 2020 pandemic. It's only the 6th time since 1993 that layoffs have topped 1.1 million.
According to the Challenger Report, here are the ACTUAL reasons companies gave for laying people off in 2025:
Tech sector layoffs are UP 17% year-over-year. Companies are explicitly saying: "We're replacing workers with AI."
Tariffs? Cited for 8,000 layoffs. Government shutdown? Doesn't explain a YEAR-LONG trend. Deportations? Those create job openings, not layoffs.
The Commerce Secretary wants you to believe this is temporary. He wants you to wait for "next year" when things will magically be "fantastic."
But if you're one of the 1.17 million people who got laid off, you can't wait.
If you're 58 and working at Whole Foods for $17/hour after a career earning $85K, you can't wait.
If you're 50 and can't get callbacks for anything except $18/hour front desk jobs, you can't wait.
If you're 35 with a family and just got your LinkedIn status changed to "Open to Work," you can't wait.
The government is lying because admitting the truth would require them to do something about it.
The layoff crisis isn't temporary. It's structural. Here's what's actually happening:
Companies are explicitly saying: "We're using AI to do what these workers used to do." 54,694 layoffs blamed directly on AI in 2025. That number will only grow.
Planned hires are DOWN 35% from last year. Companies are cutting workers AND not replacing them. The jobs aren't coming back.
Workers over 45 are getting laid off and can't find equivalent work. Companies want younger, cheaper workers. Your experience doesn't matter anymore.
Entry-level → mid-level → senior → executive? That ladder is broken. Companies are flattening hierarchies, cutting middle management, and replacing roles with AI tools.
The Commerce Secretary says "next year will be fantastic." Don't believe it.
Here's what you should do instead:
1. Stop applying to jobs that don't exist. If you've been applying for 3+ months with no callbacks, those jobs either don't exist or they're not hiring people like you.
2. Look at the sectors that are still hiring. Healthcare (especially hands-on care), skilled trades, public safety. Not glamorous, often lower pay, but they're REAL jobs.
3. Consider retraining for stable fields. If you have 6-18 months and some savings, CNA, medical assistant, paralegal, or trade certifications can lead to actual employment.
4. Accept the pay cut now rather than later. The longer you wait for your "old salary," the worse your situation gets. $40K job today beats $0 for another 6 months.
5. Stop trusting politicians who say "it'll get better soon." They said that in 2020. They said it in 2008. They're saying it now. Meanwhile, you're still unemployed.
AMERICANLAYOFFS.COM exists because the government won't tell you the truth.
The media sugarcoats it. LinkedIn influencers sell false hope. Career coaches charge $2,000 for advice that doesn't work.
We tell you the truth:
We're not here to sell you courses or false hope. We're here to give you the information you need to make real decisions about your survival.
When the Commerce Secretary says "next year will be fantastic," he's not talking to you.
He's talking to Wall Street. He's talking to CEOs. He's talking to people who benefit from layoffs and AI automation.
He's not talking to the 1.17 million people who lost their jobs.
He's not talking to you.
So stop listening to him. Stop waiting for the government to fix this. Start making decisions based on reality, not promises.