Amazon, UPS, Target layoffs signal job-market shift | JQJO

After months of a 'no hire, no fire' job market, sweeping cuts at Amazon, UPS and Target are shifting the tone. Amazon will cut 14,000 jobs as it leans into AI; UPS says its workforce is down 48,000 from a year ago; Target plans 800-plus Minnesota layoffs amid a wider restructuring. With nearly 950,000 cuts through September—the most since 2020—hiring has slowed, official data are stalled by the shutdown, and the Fed meets without fresh figures. Unemployment remains historically low, but economists warn fewer openings could stretch job searches and weaken job security.