The downward trend in layoffs is over. Employers announced plans to cut 37,151 jobs during the month, a 7% increase from the 34,768 job,cuts reported in August, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
For the quarter ending September 30, planned layoffs totaled 113,595, 53% fewer than the 240,333 job cuts announced the same period a year ago. The July-September total was 2.5% lower than the 116,494 cuts announced in the previous quarter, replacing it as the lowest quarterly job-cut total since the second quarter of 2000, the firm said.
The firm attributed some of the trouble to trends in government and non-profit jobs sectors.
If the Challenger, Gray numbers are a precursor to unemployment numbers, as they often are, the government’s announcement Friday may disappoint.
Douglas A. McIntyre
