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Nick Mordowanec

By Nick Mordowanec

Staff Writer

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Thousands of employees across various industries are expected to be laid off in August.

Companies are required to send out a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) notice before implementing mass layoffs. A total of 114 companies are anticipated to cut workers**,** according to WARNTracker.com.

Why It Matters

Layoffs may not directly correlate to the current economic climate, as some companies strive to maximize profits at the behest of the broader workforce. Others attempt to better fulfill demand.

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The United States economy is responding to governmental actions, including widespread tariffs on countries worldwide and reactions from myriad industries, including manufacturing.

The layoffs expected this month may indicate a still-turbulent economy and lack of clarity within the business sector, with the layoff outlook showing an increase compared to the roughly 95 employers that laid off workers in July. It's a smaller number overall compared to the roughly 160 companies that laid off workers in June.

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What To Know

The layoffs will affect multiple industries, including retail, software, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, health care, package delivery and more.

Employee layoffs vary by company and location. Some are slated to lay off between one and 25 employees. Other actions are more drastic, including Microsoft, Georgia-Pacific and Pixelle Specialty Solutions, each projected to lay off between 501 and 1,000 workers.

The full list, based on WARN notices via WARNTracker.com:

Daniel Alpert, executive chairman of Westland Capital LLC, told Newsweek via phone that the "jury's still out" regarding the impact of tariffs on American employers and workers/consumers, saying that as soon as there is a substantial impact on unit sales, a recession will essentially be in effect.

"It's pretty simple," Alpert said. "Conversely, in intermediate goods, when you have price rises in primary inputs that affect the ability of domestic manufacturers to manufacture without losing money, you're going to have layoffs and there's your recession. So, it really depends on what this all comes out to be in the end.

"My general overall answer is what [Trump] wants to do, he can't do without tanking the economy. Can he do something less than what he is fulminating about? Yeah, there are things he can do to fine-tune the system that could even be beneficial. But that's not what's coming out of his mouth, or his pen, at the moment."

A Fox News poll conducted from July 18-21 and surveying 1,000 randomly selected voters found that 32 percent rated economic conditions positively—the highest number, by 1 percentage point, in roughly a year. On a personal level, 44 percent rated their financial situation positively, up from 39 percent in March and 38 percent in December.

What People Are Saying

The White House, on Wednesday: "Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order suspending duty-free de minimis treatment for low-value shipments, closing the catastrophic loophole used to, among other things, evade tariffs and funnel deadly synthetic opioids as well as other unsafe or below-market products that harm American workers and businesses into the United States."

What Happens Next

As Trump's suspension of "reciprocal tariffs" ends Friday, most countries unsuccessful in securing a trade deal with the U.S. will see their rates revert to the levels announced on April 2.

The 90-day tariff pause on China is due to end on August 12, with no indications of a further extension.

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