The employment landscape just hit a sobering milestone—layoffs in 2025 have blown past 1.1 million, marking the worst wave of job cuts we've seen since the COVID crisis. That's not just a statistic; it's a signal.

When labor markets contract at this scale, it ripples through everything. Consumer spending pulls back. Corporate earnings get squeezed. Risk appetite shifts. And yes, that includes how people position themselves in volatile assets.

What's driving this? Tech sector restructuring continues to dominate headlines, but it's spreading beyond Silicon Valley. Finance, retail, even healthcare—nobody's immune when economic headwinds pick up. Companies are trimming fat, bracing for uncertainty, and optimizing for survival rather than growth.

For anyone watching market cycles, this jobs data matters. Employment trends often lead economic turning points by months. Whether we're staring down a soft landing or something messier remains to be seen, but 1.1 million job losses don't whisper—they shout.

The question now: How long before this feeds into broader market sentiment? When paychecks disappear, risk tolerance follows. Keep your eyes on the macro picture—it's moving faster than most realize.