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Challenger, Gray & Christmas

American executive outplacement firm

Challenger, Gray & Christmas is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, United States, and is the first executive outplacement firm in the US. It has offices throughout North America. James E. Challenger is the founder of the company.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1966Founded1
  • HeadquartersChicago1

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Challenger, Gray & Christmas is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, United States, and is the first executive outplacement firm in the US. It has offices throughout North America. James E. Challenger is the founder of the company. The Society for Human Resource Management recognized him in 1996 as the creator and pioneer of the outplacement field.2

The story

In 1977, Challenger, Gray & Christmas was recognized among the oldest and largest outplacement firms in the country. The earliest major customers of Challenger, Gray & Christmas included Motorola Inc., McDonald's, United Airlines, Quaker Oats Company and Sears Roebuck & Company.

In 1961, James Challenger was dismissed from his law firm position for taking time off. In 1966, he founded the Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

He devised a training, counseling, and support program. He told UPI’s Cathy Lewandowski in 1983: “There is no such thing as total job security today. Any individual, no matter what position, should be ready to prepare a clearly defined alternative plan which can be implemented in case of termination.''

From Wikipedia’s article on Challenger, Gray & Christmas, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Products and brands

Challenger's research on job cut announcements by US-based employers is used by economists on the labor market. It is regarded as an economic indicator.

The firm also conducts research on chief executive officer turnover.

The firm conducts regular surveys and issues reports on the state of the economy, employment, job-seeking, layoffs and executive compensation. It conducts one-off surveys on such subjects as workplace bullying, lost productivity due to the Super Bowl, working women and the impact of MeToo on the workplace.

The firm was cited by Fortune magazine in 2018 for its study on office romance in the age of Metoo.

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Other research includes the cost of the 2007 "March Madness" on the productivity of US businesses, the flat rate of hiring seasonal workers in 2011, declining rate of teen employment in 2012, rising planned layoffs at the U.S. companies in 2013. The firm was once awarded $5 million federal contract from the US Navy's Chief of Naval Installations Milling, Tennessee, for professional, scientific and technical services.

From Wikipedia’s article on Challenger, Gray & Christmas, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Timeline

  1. 1966Founded Founded1

Sources

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