More than 1 million people have lost their jobs already in 2025.
Many people are out of a job this year, and this includes more than 300,000 Black women, according to The Root. This also comes at a time when diversity is under attack — with federal dollars being used as bait — and Americans are feeling the effects of a government shutdown.
In Big Tech alone, there has been a string of layoffs this year at media companies, including Paramount, VIBE, and Teen Vogue, as a result of mergers, as well as other companies that include Meta, Microsoft, Starbucks, Oracle, American Airlines, and, most recently, Amazon.
As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Amazon will lay off 14,000 corporate workers, and AI is partly to blame.
“This generation of AI is the most transformative technology we’ve seen since the internet,” Beth Galetti, Amazon’s senior vice president of people experience and technology, said in a memo. “We’re convicted that we need to be organized more leanly, with fewer layers and more ownership, to move as quickly as possible for our customers and business.”
According to The Washington Post, AI has also played a part in the mass layoffs in 2025. Since the beginning of the year, 1.1 million have lost their jobs due to technology and cost-cutting, according to data from the private firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. The layoffs have primarily impacted the retail, service, warehousing, and technology industries, with firms in the technology industry logging 141,000 job cuts this year alone, up 17% from last year.
In October, 153,000 roles were wiped from the job market, a 183% increase from September and a 175% increase from a year ago.
“We’re entering new territory with these layoffs in October,” said John Challenger, the firm’s CEO, according to The Washington Post. “We haven’t seen mega-layoffs of the size that are being discussed now — 48,000 from UPS, potentially 30,000 from Amazon — since 2020 and before that, since the recession of 2009. When you see companies making cuts of this size, it does signal a real shift in direction.”
Scott Boggs, a 52-year-old Houston-based software developer, is one of the many who are without a job and has been having trouble finding job openings. He recently had a 12-minute video interview conducted by an AI bot.
“I haven’t been on the job hunt very long, but it’s already been stressful,” Boggs explained, per The Washington Post. “I am hoping something lands in my lap, but based on what people have told me, what I’ve read, I’m not hopeful.”
For those affected by layoffs, several resources are available for support. The Federal Employee Education & Assistance Fund (FEEA) is offering $150 microgrants through its Shutdown Grant program to help those furloughed or working in excepted status to cover groceries, gas, diapers, and other essential needs. FEEA also has a no-interest Emergency Hardship Loan program for full- or part-time permanent federal civilian or postal employees who have worked with the federal government for at least one year.
The Global State of Women Relief Fund offers grants ranging from $500 to $1,500 to assist with groceries, child care, mortgage payments, medical expenses, and more. Additionally, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program can help offset heating or cooling costs, while Feeding America is providing free meals and groceries.
The Partnership for Public Service has compiled a comprehensive list of programs and organizations providing support during this time. Individuals are also encouraged to explore resources in their state and locally for additional assistance.
