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Six Iowa employers reported layoffs in April. A total of 572 workers were affected. UnityPoint Health led these job reductions. This data came from Iowa's WARN site. Northeast Iowa experienced significant impact.
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/business/2026/05/05/iowa-layoffs-april-unitypoint-wells-fargo/89889465007/
Timken Belts announced the closure of its Springfield manufacturing site. Over 280 employees will lose their positions by late 2026. Layoff procedures will commence in August 2026. Its Springfield operations were excluded from a recent business sale. Gates Industrial Corporation purchased Timken's belts unit.
Springfield, Missouri
https://sgfcitizen.org/economy-growth/business/springfield-timken-belts-closure/
The Paterson Board of Education approved an $851 million school budget. This budget includes 89 layoffs and eliminates 243 other jobs through attrition. The layoffs affect 39 teachers and 50 non-certified employees. City education property taxes will increase by 8% under the plan. Union members protested the job cuts before the board meeting.
Paterson, New Jersey
https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/paterson-press/2026/05/04/paterson-nj-boe-approves-budget-layoffs-tax-hike/89938956007/
Texas added nearly 47,000 nonfarm jobs in March. This marked a reversal from February's job losses. Mining, logging, and professional services saw notable gains. The state's unemployment rate decreased to 4.1%. This trend mirrored national job market improvements.
https://www.dallasnews.com/business/economy/article/texas-adds-jobs-march-bleak-february-22236672.php
Estée Lauder announced an increase in its layoff target. The company now plans to cut up to 10,000 positions. This is an increase from the previously announced 7,000 layoffs. The move supports the company's revitalization plan. Shares rose significantly in pre-market trading following the announcement.
https://www.bitget.com/asia/amp/news/detail/12560605393878
RBC Economics analyzed Canada's labor market conditions. They anticipate a modest gain of 25,000 jobs in April. This gain should reduce the unemployment rate to 6.6%. Shrinking labor force growth means less employment growth is needed. RBC expects gradual improvements in the job market this year.
https://www.mpamag.com/ca/mortgage-industry/industry-trends/rbc-sees-canadas-jobs-engine-steady-even-as-labour-pool-thins/573824
Working from home gave us flexibility that so many of us repaid by being available at all times. That's about to be gone. No more working after hours, no more responding to late mails, no more giving extra. If we’re back in the office, we’re working office hours. That’s it.
Close to thirty years, this was what gave me my sanity back! Tired of lazy people that don’t do their job , or not having people at all, not to mention 12 to 15 hour days because of that. Upper management is so disconnected they don’t even know how to do their job it’s pass the buck or I don’t know or just a lack of critical information, when this came about, I did not think twice. Because if you think it’s going to change, I don’t see how that’s possible. When I started with this company It was actually a great place to work, they lost their way and they can’t find themselves still!
Lazy, arrogant, uneducated, entitled, useless TRASH do not deserve a job here or anywhere
Now it's just been a futile, sour, disappointing experience. Many of us are genuinely good at our jobs. Management at every level above us is not. What a waste of talent.
Monroe School Transportation Inc. is set to lay off more than half of its workforce. Approximately 180 employees will be affected by these job cuts. The layoffs are scheduled to begin on July 12. This action follows the Rochester City School District's decision to award its transportation contract to another provider. Monroe School Transportation plans to pursue other local transportation opportunities.
Rochester, New York
https://www.whec.com/top-news/monroe-school-transportation-set-to-cut-more-than-half-of-its-workforce-in-rochester/
An unnamed USPS contractor in Houston faces potential job cuts. Approximately 50 local positions could be eliminated. These potential layoffs are expected in the Houston area. The decision follows recent rule changes by USPS. These changes affect contracted trucking providers.
Houston, Texas
https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2026/04/30/southern-mail-service-potential-layoffs-usps.html
Six companies announced layoffs impacting 736 Wisconsin workers in April. This number represents a decrease from March's 1,082 layoffs. Wisconsin's unemployment rate increased to 3.5% in March. This rate remains lower than the national average of 4.3%. Several firms, including Polaris and Regal Rexnord, contributed to these job reductions.
Wisconsin
https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2026/05/01/polaris-regal-rexnord-other-companies-laid-off-workers-in-march/89861174007/
Manufacturing jobs in Wisconsin decreased by 8,600 in 2025. This data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. No major facility closings or mass layoffs occurred. Retirements and workers changing jobs contributed to the decline. Some manufacturers still struggle to fill open positions.
https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2026/04/28/why-wisconsin-lost-thousands-of-manufacturing-jobs-in-2025/89646609007/
FreshRealm, a Blue Apron supplier, filed for bankruptcy this week. The company is laying off over 1,000 employees nationwide. This follows listeria-related product recalls last year. Walmart ended its customer relationship after the outbreak. Misfits Market will now take over Blue Apron production.
Lancaster, Texas
https://www.dallasnews.com/business/jobs/article/blue-apron-supplier-files-bankruptcy-starts-22234390.php
Vitacost is closing its fulfillment center in Lexington, North Carolina. This closure will result in 130 layoffs by July 1. Kroger sold Vitacost to IHerb, an e-commerce company, in January. IHerb decided to consolidate its U.S. logistics network. This consolidation led to the decision to close the Lexington site.
Lexington, North Carolina
https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/article315585526.html
Advantest Inc. is laying off 55 workers. The company is a semiconductor firm in Hanover Township, Lehigh County. A Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification was issued. The effective date for these layoffs is June 30. Advantest specializes in semiconductor test solutions.
Hanover Township, Pennsylvania
https://www.mcall.com/2026/04/30/lehigh-valley-technology-company-announces-layoffs-affecting-55-jobs/
Yanfeng International announced 155 permanent layoffs. The layoffs affect its Chattanooga plant on Bonnyshire Drive. This action likely means the plant's complete closure. Economists view this as part of a broader industry slowdown. More than 500 jobs will be permanently laid off in the area by June.
Chattanooga, Tenn.
https://www.wdef.com/yangfeng-announces-155-permanent-layoffs-in-chattanooga/
Church & Dwight Inc. announced 195 employee layoffs. These job cuts are planned for June 30. The affected facility is in Jackson Township, York County. This information was filed in a state WARN notice. The company manufactures personal care and household goods.
Jackson Township, Pennsylvania
https://www.eveningsun.com/story/money/2026/04/30/york-county-plant-announces-nearly-200-layoffs-in-june-2026/89881235007/
Portland experienced a significant job decline in 2025. This loss is largely attributed to struggles at Intel and Nike. Intel announced 4,500 layoffs, and Nike announced 740 layoffs. These job cuts stem from internal company decisions and market challenges. The article argues these issues, not local business climate, caused the decline.
Portland, Oregon
https://cityobservatory.org/two-bad-years-for-two-big-firms/
University of Maryland administrators enacted a hiring freeze. This action followed reduced state funding for the upcoming fiscal year. Up to 150 positions are expected to be eliminated through various means, including layoffs. Employees and union members expressed frustration and concern over job security and support. They believe the cuts will negatively impact worker morale and the university's operations.
https://dbknews.com/2026/05/01/umd-hiring-freeze-layoffs/
IPS still has a job. I can't imagine anyone else coming up with the announcements we've been receiving.
I did no work for a year and no one noticed
https://leylakazim.substack.com/p/i-did-no-work-for-a-year
Working hard is keeping you poor in everything that actually matters.
You spend most of your day slumped at a desk pushing emails and having meetings about meetings. None of it is about anything you care about.
The activities that are meaningful to you – things that bring you joy, creating and making, spending time with loved ones – are forced into the margins of your life.
Which is approximately pre 7am and post 8pm on a weekday, plus the meagre pickings left over from a 48 hour weekend, once you’ve done the chores, called family, met the demands of those who depend on you, and slept.
Time warps in an office, in both directions.
Days full of bitty bittiness - jumping from one task to another - are over before you’ve achieved anything. Flow states and deep work are things you haven’t experienced for years.
Or, the minutes stretch into hours and you wonder how it can possibly only be half past three when you’ve been sitting in that chair for what feels like an eternity. And you still need to factor in the commute home.
There is no day of the week that is not preceded or followed by a day back in the office.
Just when you feel like your mind, body and spirit is coming back to you - right around Sunday afternoon - you realise it all starts again tomorrow morning.
And you’ve barely had a chance to put a wash on.
I knew this life, intimately
For nearly a decade, I was a London corporate worker with the shiny BMW on the driveway, spending sunny days indoors staring at a computer screen surrounded by various iterations of plastic.
I developed a nagging suspicion that my role was irrelevant and futile, so I decided to conduct an experiment: I resolved to stop doing any work.
Half an hour before my weekly one-to-ones, I’d spend 15 minutes knocking up a page of something, sending a couple of emails, delivering my updates in a convincing tone.
‘I’m making great progress... the stakeholders are on board…’
My manager would nod.
‘That all sounds great! Carry on.’
What I actually spent my time doing? Meticulously planning ten months of travel on a spreadsheet.
I did no work for an entire year. The experiment ended not because anyone exposed my idling, but because I finally left.
My theory had been proven: my job was a farce. Which meant a big portion of my life was too.
But it wasn’t an entirely wasted year, because the experiment taught me a valuable lesson about the nature of modern work:
Modern work is a game, a theatre performance.
Once you understand the core rule – that a performance of perceived effort matters more than actual output – everything changes.
And why would you want to play the game in the first place?
Because winning means spending more time on things that actually make you feel alive.
Below are the 6 steps to win at The Game of Modern Work.
But before we dive in, let me be clear about something.
The purpose of this piece isn’t to make you feel bad about having a bullsh-t job, if that’s where you find yourself.
That’s not my objective.
My objective is to help you:
realise your situation
see it as an untapped opportunity
Perhaps you’ve been dutifully trying to fill your time at your desk with more tasks because you’re being paid for it, so you feel like you should be doing more.
What I’m saying is: reframe the whole situation.
Don’t try to find more things to do. Don’t try to make your existing tasks fill the entire week.
Go in the opposite direction.
Do only what’s required. So it well, do it fast, and spend the rest of your time on your own stuff.
This is the first step in engineering change - it starts with your mindset and how you view the situation.
See it as an opportunity, not something to ignore or pretend isn’t your reality.
The late anthropologist David Graeber coined the term ‘bullsh-t job’ in his 2013 essay that went viral with over 1 million views.
Graeber’s definition of a bullsh-t job:
‘…a job that is so completely pointless, unnecessary, or pernicious that even the employee cannot justify its existence, even though they’re obliged to pretend otherwise.’
These aren’t nurses, teachers, or refuse workers doing essential work.
They’re HR consultants, corporate lawyers, administrators, marketing coordinators – roles where if the position were eliminated tomorrow, it would make no discernible difference in the world.
I think some people have a deep-down sense that their job fits this description, but they don’t want to admit it.
Totally understandable.
Because all sorts of existential questions come up when you do, like: what have I just spent the past 20 years of my life actually doing?
But that doesn’t mean the topic can be avoided.
The alternative is continuing to pretend from a place of ignorance. Whereas what you want to do is still pretend, but from a place of knowledge.
Now the situation has tipped in your favour.
If you’re worried you’re the only one who thinks this about their work, you most definitely are not.
A YouGov poll found 37% of British workers thought their jobs didn’t contribute meaningfully to the world. Graeber estimated 20-50% of all jobs are ‘bullsh-t jobs’.
Apply the test: if your job were eliminated tomorrow, would anyone notice or care?
If not, acknowledge it. Own it.
There’s no shame – and everything becomes easier after the initial discomfort.
Which is a good thing, because games have winners and losers.
And games also have rules. If you know the rules, you’re far more likely to win.
Winning, in this case, means spending less of your precious and finite time on this glorious planet doing pointless busy work and more of it on things that bring you joy, help you grow, or benefit your community.
The main game rule is this:
Spend as little time as possible meeting your contracted deliverables while still doing them to a competent level.
Do this by increasing your efficiency.
Complete all your contractual tasks at the start of the week when you’re most rested – knock them out quickly and well.
Then — without guilt — spend the rest of the time on your own stuff.
Your perceived performance stays high because you’ve completed what was asked of you. But do not go above and beyond. There is no sense and no reward in handing over more of yourself than is requested.
Do what’s required, do it well, and let your superiors believe it took the full allocated time – even if it only took you 1/20th of it.
Think of a parallel system, the education system.
Many students learn how to pass exams more than they learn the actual content in a course. I recall memorising a physics formula at university I understood absolutely nothing about, simply because I knew it would appear in the exam.
I passed.
The game rewards performers, not hard workers.
Nurses and teachers work extremely hard and are undervalued. And yet office workers who understand perceived performance, but in reality produce less meaningful output, get the higher salaries.
Your objective is simple: make your line manager feel like they don’t even have to think about you because you’re just getting on with stuff. You want to make their lives as easy as possible.
This is key.
If they believe you’re working on whatever project they think you’re working on, and you support this with evidence of having met the deliverables, they’ll most likely be relieved they can just let you get on with it.
Figure out what it is they need to see to relax.
A well-prepared set of notes? A 6-page PowerPoint about a conference you attended? Whatever it is that makes them think ‘brilliant, John Smith is working great on their own, I don’t have to check in’ — deliver that.
You want them to report to their own manager that you’re meeting all your deliverables without them having to worry.
Confidence is key. Looking busy is the universal language in offices; use this to your advantage.
A spreadsheet is a great ruse – I planned ten months of travel on one mammoth spreadsheet and everyone thought it was work-related. Leave a paper trail: send a few emails during the week to show you’ve reached out to people.
As long as you look busy and make your line manager’s life easier, you’re winning.
It’s your duty as a living and breathing human being to use this time well.
And by that I mean spend it on things that bring you joy, help you feel fulfilled, make you feel like you’ve actually done something meaningful with your 7-8 hours.
Perhaps you’ve helped someone else, grown personally, learned a new skill, done research on something that matters to you.
I have a friend with a remote bullsh-t job who coaches football during work hours because that’s his passion. An airport kiosk worker I met was learning a new language on their computer between the rare customers. I had my travel spreadsheet behemoth.
If you’re office-based surrounded by others, your activities need to work at a computer. If you’re remote, you have more freedom - physical projects, skill-building, anything.
Use this time to figure out an exit strategy if you want one. Research starting a business or finding a different role. Work on creative projects — reading, writing, learning.
Some people wouldn’t know how to spend tomorrow if given it off work. This lack of meaning is the greatest global epidemic no one is talking about; one for another essay.
But it’s also exactly why you need this reclaimed time — to finally discover what ignites you.
Nature never wastes energy. It does exactly what’s needed, nothing more.
Water always finds the easiest route back to the sea — it doesn’t force itself uphill. If you have a fire approaching both a eucalyptus tree and a cork oak, the eucalyptus ignites because that’s the path of least resistance. Nature doesn’t waste energy trying to force the cork oak to burn.
Think about your garden.
You can spend enormous energy coddling high-maintenance plants that need constant attention, or you can welcome the weeds — plants that flourish with zero intervention.
Many are edible, medicinal, beautiful. And they’re highly efficient.
The thing you need to remember is you are a part of Nature. You might not yet know your purpose in life, but one thing is for certain: it isn’t to have meetings, pay off debts, then die.
Don’t waste energy on work that resists your soul.
Your soul knows this work is futile. The natural state is to do the minimum needed for survival (your deliverables) and let the rest of your energy flow where it actually wants to go, towards what makes you come alive.
That’s not cheating the system. That’s being intelligent enough to follow how the universe actually works.
‘But isn’t this deceitful?’
I can hear some of you objecting: isn’t it deceitful to let your employer pay you for doing stuff that has nothing to do with their work?
Here’s my response: if you went to your line manager tomorrow and said ‘Hey there Graham! I’ve completed everything you’ve given me in a tenth of the time, do you have any more work for me?’ - you’d stress them out.
The truth is, most of the time they won’t have anything else for you to do. You might think you’re helping, but you’re actually making their lives more difficult.
Now they’re obliged to figure out what the he-l else to do with you.
If they can’t, the worst-case scenario is you’re forcing them to acknowledge that your role is meaningless - which you already know, but they likely don’t want to lay you off.
Too much admin.
You’ve given them the very difficult task of having to justify your role even though you’ve just proven you completed it in a fraction of the time.
So if you’re considering other people’s feelings and lives, it’s for everyone’s benefit if you continue with the charade and keep playing the role. It’s not deceitful for them to be paying you when you’re not working on their stuff.
You’re actually helping the system work.
It’s not your fault if you’re efficient. It’s not your fault if the role shouldn’t actually exist.
‘But I’m drowning in work’
Some of you aren’t exactly sitting idle in your bullsh-t job — you’re doing the work of three people because enlightened colleagues keep quitting, aren’t being replaced and you’re absorbing their tasks.
You’re working evenings and weekends and spending less time with your family, simply to meet the demands of the extra bullsh-t.
This is a different problem: lots of busy work - meetings about meetings, firefighting, sending emails - but nothing of real substance or meaning.
It feels like a lot of work, but you’re not actually achieving anything.
If this is you, the efficiency principles still apply where possible.
But honestly, this might be your sign that it’s time to get the he-l out.
A bullsh-t job with capacity to slack is one thing. A bullsh-t job that’s stealing your life and health? That’s unsustainable.
This essay is for those of you with hours to fill at a desk, not those drowning. If you’re drowning, that’s a different conversation entirely.
Your focus needs to be an exit strategy.
Final thoughts
The key to surviving an unfulfilling job (other than leaving it) isn’t working harder - it’s understanding that modern work is just a game.
Once you know the core rule - that perceived performance is valued more than actual hard work - everything changes.
You can reclaim hours of your week. Not by quitting or setting it all alight, but by working efficiently in order to spend the majority of your ‘office time’ on things that bring you joy and help you realise the life you actually want.
I did no work for a year and nobody noticed.
That taught me the rules. Now I work late into the night on projects I care about because I want to, not because I have to. I experience flow states daily.
I’ve built a life I don’t need to escape from.
You’re not being deceitful. You’re being intelligent. You’re following nature’s principle: don’t waste energy where it doesn’t matter.
Stop grinding, start playing. If I can do it, you can do it too.
What's your experience with bullsh-t jobs, ever had one? Have you tried tactical slacking? Let me know!
I see a lot of developer jobs now posted on the Gainwell website, located in India. I hadn’t seen that before. (then I hadn’t looked recently.)
A beverage distribution company reached an agreement to sell its Texas operations. This sale could result in 90 local job losses. The potential layoffs are expected in June. Texas law requires 60 days' notice before potential mass layoffs. This notice protects workers and their families.
https://www.caller.com/story/money/business/local/2026/04/29/corpus-christi-layoffs-republic-national-distributing-company/89862541007/
So I put AI on tthe resume.
I can make CoPilot hallucinate with the best of them!
FreshRealm has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. This action could lead to 637 layoffs in Linden, New Jersey. The company cited a significant ingredient supply disruption as a primary reason. These job cuts are expected to occur by late June and July. FreshRealm provides fresh meals for various retailers and meal kit services.
Linden, New Jersey
https://nj1015.com/freshrealm-bankruptcy-linden-nj/
John Deere plans to open two new U.S. manufacturing facilities. These sites in Indiana and North Carolina will create about 300 new jobs. This expansion follows thousands of layoffs at Deere's U.S. plants in recent years. The company recalled only 324 employees since January. Soft demand for farm equipment and tariffs continue to challenge the market.
Moline, Illinois
https://ts2.tech/en/john-deeres-300-job-u-s-expansion-faces-the-layoff-math-behind-its-comeback/
The PGA Tour recently posted new job openings. This occurred just days after 56 roles were eliminated. New positions include a head of business development and a director of international media. Executive Laura Neal also moved to a new role as EVP/Strategic Philanthropy. Tournament director Todd Fleming was among the recent layoffs.
https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2026/04/28/pga-tour-begins-posting-new-jobs-following-recent-layoffs/
Cleveland schools are facing massive layoffs. Some jobs are being cut in Cleveland schools. The FOX 8 I-Team uncovered this development. There is a push to save some of these jobs. This effort aims to prevent certain job losses.
Cleveland, Ohio
https://fox8.com/video/could-jobs-be-saved-from-massive-school-layoffs-in-cleveland/11738884/
SelectCare is closing its New York office. This closure will result in 59 employee layoffs. The company filed a WARN notice confirming these job cuts. Layoffs are scheduled to take effect by June 30, 2026. SelectCare did not provide a specific reason for the office closure.
New York, New York
https://whatnow.com/new-york/local-news/major-nyc-home-health-agency-set-to-close-office-50-employees-to-be-laid-off/
If yes, did you find another job and quit?
Does anyone have the job description for the receiving captain position? Looking at some job postings and curious what it actually entails at your store. What do you do besides fulfillment and working the truck deliveries?
No idea what is wrong with me if I can't keep a job at a place like this
Bloomsbury, a UK-based publisher, announced a restructuring plan. The company intends to streamline its operations for future growth. About 55 positions will be eliminated in the US and UK. Bloomsbury will reorganize its three main editorial divisions. These changes are scheduled to take effect on June 1, 2026.
https://locusmag.com/2026/04/bloomsbury-layoffs/
The Palm Beach County school board is considering a difficult decision regarding teacher salaries. The district indicates that a 3.5% teacher pay raise could lead to 192 layoffs and cuts to student services. Educators propose funding these raises by eliminating 454 existing vacant teacher positions instead. Declining student enrollment, with 7,000 fewer students, contributes to the district's budget challenges. The school board is scheduled to vote on the final salary plan on May 6.
Palm Beach County, Florida
https://www.wptv.com/news/education/palm-beach-county-school-board-faces-a-tough-choice-between-teacher-raises-potential-job-layoffs
Just saw a job posting for the exact position I was let go from a few months ago. Does anyone making these decisions have any shame? Has this happened to anyone else? It's a slap in the face honestly.
T-Mobile announced 326 job cuts in April. These layoffs impacted employees across Tennessee, Texas, and Colorado. Chattanooga, Tennessee, saw 200 permanent layoffs. Austin, Texas, had 75 employees affected. Denver, Colorado, experienced 51 job reductions.
https://www.thestreet.com/employment/t-mobile-lays-off-300-plus-employees-across-states
Freight transportation provider Alan Ritchey Inc. is closing its Phillipsburg, New Jersey logistics facility. This closure will result in 176 employee layoffs effective July 17. The decision stems from the nonrenewal of a U.S. Postal Service contract. This marks the company's second major workforce reduction tied to lost USPS business this year. Earlier, 729 employees were laid off in Aurora, Colorado, for similar reasons.
Phillipsburg, New Jersey
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/carrier-shutters-new-jersey-hub-cuts-over-175-jobs
Alan Ritchey Inc. |
Workforce Solutions Panhandle reports increasing job opportunities. The Texas Panhandle added nearly 2,700 workers in the last year. The region's unemployment rate is 3.7 percent. Amarillo's job market remains stable despite recent Tyson layoffs. The area successfully absorbed most affected workers.
Amarillo, Texas
https://www.newschannel10.com/2026/04/20/texas-panhandle-sees-steady-job-growth-over-past-year/?outputType=amp