US Layoffs Decrease Significantly in November — What’s Causing Companies to Hesitate on Hiring?
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Source: Benzinga
Updated: 2 hour ago0mins
Layoff Trends: U.S. layoffs decreased significantly in November, with planned cuts falling 53% from October to 71,321, although this figure is still 24% higher than the previous year, indicating ongoing caution in the labor market.
Hiring vs. Layoffs: In 2025, layoffs have outpaced hiring by a wide margin, with 1.171 million layoffs announced compared to only 497,151 hiring plans, the lowest since 2010, reflecting a selective approach by employers.
Reasons for Job Cuts: The primary reasons for job cuts in November included restructuring, business closures, and demand-related reductions, with economic uncertainty and tariffs also impacting decisions, particularly for smaller firms.
Impact of AI and Industry Cuts: AI has influenced staffing decisions, contributing to some layoffs, while the technology sector has led in job cuts this year, with telecom companies like Verizon announcing the most layoffs in November. Despite these cuts, unemployment claims have not surged, indicating a cautious labor market.
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Analyst Views on VZ
Wall Street analysts forecast VZ stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for VZ is 46.79 USD with a low forecast of 43.00 USD and a high forecast of 51.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
16 Analyst Rating
5 Buy
11 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 40.670
Low
43.00
Averages
46.79
High
51.00
Current: 40.670
Low
43.00
Averages
46.79
High
51.00
TD Cowen
Buy
downgrade
$56 -> $51
2025-10-30
Reason
TD Cowen
Price Target
$56 -> $51
2025-10-30
downgrade
Buy
Reason
TD Cowen lowered the firm's price target on Verizon to $51 from $56 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares. The firm said Q3 results were better than feared as the new CEO dismissed the notion that the company is fundamentally flawed but instead has the assets to actually thrive, suggesting the company was mismanaged, thus the dividend is safe and no need to be destructive. The outlook is encouraging but vague.
RBC Capital
Sector Perform
downgrade
$46 -> $44
2025-10-30
Reason
RBC Capital
Price Target
$46 -> $44
2025-10-30
downgrade
Sector Perform
Reason
RBC Capital lowered the firm's price target on Verizon to $44 from $46 and keeps a Sector Perform rating on the shares after its Q3 revenue miss. The company's new CEO provided his vision of how to return to growth, including a disciplined approach for achieving subscriber growth and cost-cutting initiatives, the analyst tells investors in a research note.
Scotiabank
Maher Yaghi
Sector Perform
maintain
$51
2025-10-30
Reason
Scotiabank
Maher Yaghi
Price Target
$51
2025-10-30
maintain
Sector Perform
Reason
Scotiabank analyst Maher Yaghi raised the firm's price target on Verizon to $51 from $50.50 and keeps a Sector Perform rating on the shares. While the company delivered in-line top and bottom-line results in Q3, consumer net loading remains negative, the analyst tells investors. The firm believes more steady improvement in subscriber trends and churn reduction is necessary for the stock to see a positive momentum.
BofA
Michael Funk
Neutral
downgrade
$49 -> $45
2025-10-30
Reason
BofA
Michael Funk
Price Target
$49 -> $45
2025-10-30
downgrade
Neutral
Reason
BofA analyst Michael Funk lowered the firm's price target on Verizon to $45 from $49 and keeps a Neutral rating on the shares following results that the firm calls "better than feared" on consumer post-paid phone net loss, messaging on using price as a tool to gain share and dividend sustainability. The firm trimmed its 2026 free cash flow multiple to account for execution risk as Verizon undertakes restructuring and renews marketing efforts.
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About VZ
Verizon Communications Inc. is a holding company. The Company, through its subsidiaries, provides communications, technology, information and streaming products and services to consumers, businesses and government entities. Its Consumer segment provides wireless and wireline communications services. It also provides fixed wireless access (FWA) broadband through its 5G or 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) networks portfolio. The Company's Business segment provides wireless and wireline communications services and products, including FWA broadband, data, video and advanced communication services, corporate networking solutions, security and managed network services, local and long-distance voice services and network access to deliver various Internet of Things (IoT) services and products. It provides these products and services to businesses, public sector customers and wireless and wireline carriers across the U.S. and a subset of these products and services to customers around the world.
About the author
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Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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