Severance pay and unemployment benefits are the two things that keep money coming in after a layoff. No federal law requires severance, so what you get depends on your contract, company policy and what you negotiate. Unemployment insurance is run by each state, with its own rules on who qualifies, how much you receive and whether severance delays your benefits.
Our guides explain how to read and negotiate a severance agreement, what happens to your 401(k) and health coverage, and how benefits such as Social Security change from year to year. Below you can also follow how many layoffs US employers report each month, from Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
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Severance negotiation is one of the most misunderstood parts of the layoff process. Online advice often says “always negotiate,” while many HR professionals insist the opposite: most severance packages are non-negotiable. The truth, especially in 2026, is more nuanced. This guide explains when severance is realistically negotiable, when it is not, how companies determine these … Read more
Employer-initiated separations, in thousands. Seasonally adjusted. Latest data point: Sep 2026 (preliminary). This chart updates automatically when the BLS publishes new figures. Source: BLS, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS).
| Period | Thousand people |
|---|---|
| Sep 2026 | 1,641 (p) |
| Aug 2026 | 1,768 |
| Jul 2026 | 1,702 |
| Jun 2026 | 1,785 |
| May 2026 | 1,761 |
| Apr 2026 | 1,667 |
| Mar 2026 | 1,884 |
| Feb 2026 | 1,714 |
| Jan 2026 | 1,660 |
| Dec 2025 | 1,666 |
| Nov 2025 | 1,660 |
| Oct 2025 | 1,891 |
| Sep 2025 | 1,816 |
| Aug 2025 | 1,832 |
| Jul 2025 | 1,772 |
| Jun 2025 | 1,843 |
| May 2025 | 1,671 |
| Apr 2025 | 1,818 |
| Mar 2025 | 1,595 |
| Feb 2025 | 1,867 |
| Jan 2025 | 1,738 |
| Dec 2024 | 1,689 |
| Nov 2024 | 1,831 |
| Oct 2024 | 1,650 |
No federal law requires severance pay. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, severance is a matter of agreement between the employer and the employee, so it depends on your contract, company policy or what you negotiate.
Often, yes. Many employers expect questions about the amount, the end date of health coverage and the terms of the release before you sign. Read the agreement carefully and take the time the employer gives you to review it.
It can. Each state decides whether severance pay delays or reduces unemployment benefits, so check the rules of the state where you worked before you file.
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