U.S.-based employers announced 43,281 job cuts in September 2026, the lowest total for that month since 2022 and a decrease of 18% from August, according to global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Technology firms announced 10,799 of those cuts in September alone, and the sector has led all industries in 2026 with 29% of announced cuts.

Layoffs have slowed from last year's pace, but a mass layoff can still reach Exelon employees with little warning, and the decisions that follow, on severance, health coverage, unemployment insurance and a 401(k), run on fixed deadlines.

How many layoffs happened in 2026, and where do things stand now?

Employers had announced 573,195 job cuts through September 2026, down 39% from the same nine months of 2025, though last year's federal workforce reductions skew that comparison; excluding the government sector, the decline was a smaller 15%. The Bureau of Labor Statistics separately put the layoffs-and-discharges rate at 1.0% in August 2026, a preliminary figure, with hiring and total separations both little changed from July.

These national figures do not predict what happens to any one employee. They show the overall pace calmed from 2025's levels, though layoffs continue each month.

What does a WARN notice mean for Exelon employees?

The federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act generally covers employers with 100 or more employees and requires at least 60 calendar days' written notice before a plant closing or mass layoff. A mass layoff under the Act means an employment loss affecting 50 or more employees at one site who also make up at least a third of that site's workforce, or 500 or more employees regardless of the percentage.

More than a dozen states, including Washington since July 2025, run their own versions of this law, sometimes called mini-WARN Acts. Some set lower employee counts or longer notice windows than the federal rule; Illinois, for instance, covers employers with 75 or more workers, and New Jersey requires 90 days' notice instead of 60.

Whether a specific notice requirement applied to a given Exelon layoff depends on the employer's size and the scale of that layoff, a fact-specific question to check against the filings named below.

What should Exelon employees check before signing a severance agreement?

Severance agreements typically ask the employee to release legal claims against the employer in exchange for pay or benefits, so reading the release language and the list of claims it covers before signing is worth the time.

For a worker age 40 or older, the federal OWBPA rule on age-discrimination waivers sets a review period of at least 21 days before signing an individual severance offer, or at least 45 days for a group layoff or exit-incentive program. The worker also gets a separate 7 days after signing to change course, and the agreement only takes effect once that revocation window closes.

Asking a benefits or HR contact for the written severance terms, and for more time if a deadline feels rushed, costs nothing.

What happens to final pay and unused vacation time?

Federal law under the Fair Labor Standards Act sets no requirement that an employer pay out unused vacation or PTO at separation. Whether the unused balance gets paid, and how fast a final paycheck arrives, is set by state law and the company's own policy.

Some states treat earned vacation as wages that cannot be forfeited, while others leave the question to the employer's policy, so the plan document or employee handbook, not a general rule, controls the answer for Exelon employees.

When does health coverage end, and what replaces it?

Group health coverage usually ends on the last day worked or the end of that month. COBRA is the main way to keep the same plan afterward. Continuation coverage can run up to 18 months after a job loss or a cut in hours. The plan must give at least 60 days to decide, counted from the later of the election-notice date or the coverage-loss date, and it can charge a premium of up to 102% of its full cost.

A person who skips COBRA, or who later loses it, also qualifies for a 60-day Special Enrollment Period to pick an ACA Marketplace plan, with coverage starting the first day of the month after enrollment.

Comparing the COBRA premium against a Marketplace plan's premium and subsidy before the 60-day window closes is worth the half hour it takes.

Does severance affect unemployment insurance?

Unemployment insurance is run by each state under federal guidelines, and each state decides for itself how severance pay interacts with eligibility.

New York, as one example, treats severance paid within 30 days of the last day worked as disqualifying for any week in which it exceeds the state's maximum weekly benefit rate, while severance paid later generally does not affect eligibility.

Filing a claim promptly and reporting the severance terms accurately is the only way to get an actual state determination, since the rule in Exelon's state may differ from New York's.

What happens to a 401(k) at separation?

How much of an employer's matching or profit-sharing contribution belongs to the employee at separation depends on the plan's vesting schedule, spelled out in the plan document and not fixed by any general rule.

A retirement-plan distribution paid directly to a former employee carries mandatory federal withholding, generally 20%, even if that person plans to roll it over. An indirect rollover to another retirement plan or IRA must then happen within 60 days of receiving the money; a direct trustee-to-trustee transfer skips the mandatory withholding.

When an outstanding 401(k) loan is offset against the account balance at separation, the usual 60-day rollover window no longer applies. Instead, the deadline moves out to the federal income-tax filing due date, including extensions, for the year the offset occurred.

A worker who separates from the employer sponsoring the plan during or after the calendar year they turn 55 can take distributions from that specific plan without the extra 10% early-distribution tax; the exception does not reach IRAs or a previous employer's old plan.

What about equity awards and HSA balances?

Vested equity awards, such as shares or options that already belong to the employee, generally remain theirs after a layoff. Unvested awards and the window to exercise options are a different matter, controlled by the specific award agreement, so whether they are forfeited depends on that plan's terms.

A health savings account belongs to the individual, not the employer. It keeps its balance and its untaxed earnings if the person changes jobs or leaves the workforce, and any employer money already deposited stays in the account.

What records are worth saving before access to work systems ends?

Some employers cut off computer and email access the same day a layoff is announced, so copying pay stubs, benefit summaries, performance reviews and personal contact information to a personal device or account beforehand avoids a scramble later.

How can Exelon employees manage the stress of a layoff?

Job loss ranks among the more stressful events in a working life, and reactions such as anger, worry or trouble sleeping are common in the weeks that follow.

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline offers free, confidential support by call, text or chat, 24 hours a day, for anyone dealing with emotional distress, including job-loss stress; callers can reach out whether or not they are in a suicidal crisis.

Talking with a trusted contact, a counselor, or the 988 Lifeline is worth doing well before a crisis point.

What has Exelon disclosed about severance and layoffs?

A company's own paperwork on severance is worth checking before assuming a general policy applies. Exelon's Severance Benefit Plan, which carries a Department of Labor severance-pay code, reported 20,771 participants in its Form 5500 for plan year 2025. Executives in Salary Band E09 or above instead fall under a separate Senior Management Severance Plan that pays continued salary and target incentive for 15 to 24 months, depending on title and years of service, and keeps retiree health eligibility for those who reach age 50 with 10 years of service by the end of that period. Exelon's 2025 10-K lists a cost management charge tied mainly to severance and reorganization costs, and in February 2026 its utility subsidiary BGE said it would cut 68 unionized, management and office jobs, though that reduction does not appear on Maryland's official 2025-2026 WARN logs. Ask HR which plan, if any, names your position.

What happens to your Exelon 401(k) if you're laid off?

A layoff also raises what happens to money already set aside in a 401(k). Exelon's Employee Savings Plan vests participants fully in their accounts at all times, so company matching and profit-sharing money belongs to a departing employee right away. At termination, a participant can take the balance as a lump sum, an ad hoc partial distribution, or installments, and a balance of $1,000 or less pays out automatically as a lump sum. Confirm with the plan administrator which payout option fits your account.