Job cuts were seen at 19,064 in January, up slightly from the 19,052 announced in December. Of note, at least the layoffs seen were 76% lower than the same month in 2021. Challenger notes that:

"Omicron likely slowed the numbers of jobs added in January. Though the Supreme Court decision on the OSHA rule potentially removed a hurdle to hiring, the amount of work companies, particularly Human Resources and Talent Acquisition departments, are undergoing to create and implement their own policies; attract, retain, and onboard workers; comply with the patchwork of COVID guidelines; and grapple with illnesses, will slow hiring processes."