recession.world · chart
Cumulative US Layoffs — Year to Date
Running total of workers affected by layoffs since January 1.
Key takeaway: 9,191 US workers have been affected by layoffs year to date, through Apr 15.
What this chart shows
A running total (cumulative sum) of workers affected by layoff filings since January 1 of the current year. Every flat stretch means no qualifying filings that day; every step up represents new filings. The slope of the line is your rough rate of job losses over time.
Why cumulative framing matters
Monthly bar charts show cadence; a cumulative line shows the running bill. It's the single number that answers 'how bad has this year been so far' without needing the reader to mentally add up twelve bars. It's also the chart that makes year-over-year comparison trivial — just overlay last year's line.
Reading the slope
Steeper slopes mean faster job losses. A flattening slope (even while the line still rises) means the rate of new filings is slowing. The most honest read is relative: is this year's line above or below where last year's was on the same date?
Frequently asked questions
Does this include every layoff in the US?
No — only layoffs that generated a public filing (WARN Act, SEC 8-K, or press release) that our adapters captured. Smaller layoffs (under the WARN threshold of 50-100 workers depending on state) are systematically missing.