BENGALURU – Layoffs in the United States hit a more than two-year high in January as technology firms cut jobs at the second-highest pace on record to brace for a possible recession, a report showed on Thursday.

The layoffs impacted 102,943 workers, a more than twofold jump from December and a surge of over five times from a year earlier, according to the report from employment firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

Companies from Microsoft to Amazon.com and Goldman Sachs cut thousands of jobs last month in a bid to ride out a demand downturn as consumer and corporate spending shrinks due to high inflation and rising interest rates.

“We are now on the other side of the hiring frenzy of the pandemic years,” said Mr Andrew Challenger, labour expert and senior vice-president of the employment firm. “Companies are preparing for an economic slowdown, cutting workforce and slowing hiring.”

The push to correct pandemic excesses has been most evident in the tech sector, which slashed 41,829 jobs last month, the highest across industries.

Retailers, second after tech, cut 13,000 positions in January, compared with virtually no layoffs a year earlier. Financial firms, meanwhile, shed 10,603 jobs last month, up from 696 roles a year earlier.

With the Federal Reserve expected to continue on its rate hiking path to tamp down inflation that is still on the higher side after several rounds of rate increases, analysts said more layoffs could be in store for US companies.

“For companies that ramped up headcount over the past few years, they will likely shrink their workforce as the economy is headed towards a rough patch,” Oanda senior market analyst Edward Moya said. REUTERS