The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 7.4 million U.S. workers were displaced from jobs between January 2023 and December 2025. The report includes data on long-tenured workers, reemployment, unemployment and the reasons workers lost their jobs, providing a detailed measure of labor-market displacement.
Key Takeaways
- The BLS reported 7.4 million displaced workers between January 2023 and December 2025.
- About 3.3 million displaced workers had been with their employers for at least three years.
- Among long-tenured displaced workers, 66.1% were reemployed by January 2026.
- Abolition of a position or shift accounted for 44.4% of long-tenured worker displacement.
- Manufacturing accounted for the largest share of long-tenured displacement among major industries at 19%.
BLS Reports 7.4 Million Displaced Workers
U.S. worker displacement totaled 7.4 million between January 2023 and December 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with the federal agency reporting separate figures for workers who had longer relationships with their employers. The BLS data provide information on the number of workers affected, their subsequent employment status and the reasons their jobs ended.
The displacement measure covers workers who lost or left jobs under circumstances included in the BLS survey definition of displacement. The reported period extends from January 2023 through December 2025, giving the figures a three-year reference period.
The BLS report separates workers according to their tenure with the employer. Among the 7.4 million displaced workers, 3.3 million had been with their employers for at least three years. The remaining displaced workers had shorter tenure with their employers.
The distinction between overall displacement and long-tenured displacement provides separate measures of job loss. The long-tenured group identifies workers who had maintained employment with the same employer for at least three years before being displaced.
The report also examines the employment status of long-tenured displaced workers after their jobs ended. That information includes workers who were reemployed, unemployed or outside the labor force.
The figures therefore cover more than the number of jobs affected. They also show the subsequent labor-market status of a defined group of displaced workers and identify the circumstances associated with their job losses.
The displacement data can be considered alongside other measures of labor demand, including recent reports on U.S. job openings, which track available positions rather than workers who have already been displaced.
Long-Tenured Workers Account for 3.3 Million Displacements
Long-tenured workers accounted for 3.3 million of the 7.4 million displaced workers reported by the BLS. The agency defines this group based on workers who had been with their employers for at least three years.
The three-year tenure threshold distinguishes longer-serving employees from workers who had spent less time with their employers. This breakdown allows the BLS report to identify displacement among workers with established employment relationships.
The 3.3 million long-tenured workers represented a substantial portion of the total displacement figure. Their outcomes were also tracked separately after displacement, allowing the report to show how many had returned to employment and how many remained unemployed or outside the labor force.
The tenure information is relevant to interpreting the displacement figures because the end of a job held for several years differs from displacement among workers with shorter periods of employment. The BLS report provides the figures without treating all displaced workers as a single group.
The report’s long-tenured category also supports comparisons across reasons for displacement and industries. Position eliminations, plant or company closures or moves, and insufficient work were among the reported circumstances affecting these workers.
Among long-tenured workers, the BLS reported that the abolition of a position or shift accounted for 44.4% of displacement. Plant or company closures or moves accounted for 32.6%, while insufficient work represented 22.9%.
These figures provide a breakdown of the circumstances associated with displacement among workers who had been employed by the same employer for at least three years.
Reemployment Reached 66.1% Among Long-Tenured Workers
The BLS reported that 66.1% of long-tenured displaced workers were reemployed by January 2026. The figure covers the group of 3.3 million workers who had been with their employers for at least three years before displacement.
The reemployment figure provides a measure of the share of long-tenured displaced workers who had obtained another job by January 2026. It does not represent the reemployment rate for all 7.4 million displaced workers.
The BLS also reported that 18.3% of long-tenured displaced workers were unemployed in January 2026. Another 15.7% were outside the labor force.
Together, the figures divide the long-tenured group into three reported labor-market statuses: reemployed, unemployed and outside the labor force. The categories account for the workers included in the long-tenured displacement measure.
The reemployment figure also provides a specific point-in-time measure following the displacement period. The BLS used January 2026 as the reference point for determining the subsequent employment status of long-tenured displaced workers.
The 66.1% figure means that roughly two-thirds of the long-tenured displaced-worker group had returned to employment by that point. The remaining workers were divided between unemployment and being outside the labor force.
The BLS figures therefore distinguish between displacement itself and the employment status that followed. A worker counted as displaced during the 2023–25 period could subsequently be reemployed, unemployed or outside the labor force.
Recent labor data also provide a separate measure of layoffs, including U.S. jobless claims data. Jobless claims and worker-displacement figures measure different aspects of employment conditions and should not be treated as interchangeable statistics.
Position Eliminations Led Major Displacement Reasons
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The abolition of a position or shift was the leading reported reason for displacement among long-tenured workers, accounting for 44.4% of cases. The category covers workers whose positions or shifts were eliminated.
Plant or company closures or moves accounted for 32.6% of long-tenured displacement. The category includes displacement associated with a plant or company closing or moving.
Insufficient work accounted for the remaining 22.9% of long-tenured displacement. The figures show the distribution of reported reasons within the long-tenured worker group rather than across all 7.4 million displaced workers.
The three categories provide a breakdown of the circumstances associated with long-tenured worker displacement. Position or shift eliminations represented the largest share, followed by plant or company closures or moves and insufficient work.
The BLS figures also separate the circumstances of displacement from workers’ subsequent employment outcomes. The reason a worker was displaced and whether that worker was later reemployed are therefore distinct measures within the report.
That distinction is important for reading the data accurately. The 44.4% figure describes the reported reason for displacement among long-tenured workers, while the 66.1% figure describes their reemployment status by January 2026.
The report consequently provides several separate measurements of worker displacement: the number of workers displaced, the number with at least three years of tenure, the reason for displacement and the subsequent labor-market status of long-tenured workers.
The distinction between displacement and ongoing hiring can also be seen in recent reporting on U.S. employment and payroll data, which measures changes in employment rather than the specific circumstances recorded in the displacement survey.
Manufacturing Recorded the Largest Industry Share
Manufacturing accounted for 19% of long-tenured worker displacement among the major industries identified in the BLS report. Professional and business services accounted for 16%, while retail trade represented 10%.
The industry figures provide another way to examine the 3.3 million long-tenured displaced workers. Manufacturing had the largest share among the industries specified in the report.
Professional and business services had the second-largest reported share at 16%. Retail trade accounted for 10% of long-tenured displacement.
These industry figures are separate from the reasons for displacement. A worker in manufacturing, for example, could be included in the industry data while also being classified under one of the reported reasons for displacement.
The BLS report therefore provides both industry and circumstance information for understanding the composition of long-tenured worker displacement. The industry percentages identify where the displaced workers were employed, while the reason categories identify the circumstances associated with their job loss.
The January 2026 employment-status figures add another dimension to the report. Of the long-tenured workers affected during the January 2023–December 2025 period, 66.1% were reemployed by January 2026, 18.3% were unemployed and 15.7% were outside the labor force.
The resulting data set connects employment tenure, displacement circumstances, industry and subsequent labor-market status. It provides a detailed statistical account of workers who lost jobs during the three-year period and the status of long-tenured workers after displacement.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many U.S. workers were displaced between 2023 and 2025?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 7.4 million displaced workers between January 2023 and December 2025. The figure covers the full group measured by the BLS displacement report.
How many long-tenured workers were displaced?
The BLS reported 3.3 million displaced workers who had been with their employers for at least three years. This group is separately identified in the report from workers with shorter employer tenure.
What percentage of displaced workers were reemployed?
Among long-tenured displaced workers, 66.1% were reemployed by January 2026. The figure applies specifically to the long-tenured group, not all 7.4 million displaced workers.
What was the leading reason for worker displacement?
Abolition of a position or shift was the leading reported reason among long-tenured displaced workers, accounting for 44.4% of cases. Plant or company closures or moves accounted for 32.6%, while insufficient work accounted for 22.9%.
Which industry recorded the largest share of long-tenured displaced workers?
Manufacturing recorded the largest share among the major industries identified in the BLS report, accounting for 19% of long-tenured displacement. Professional and business services accounted for 16%, and retail trade represented 10%.
