New data show that employers handed out fewer pink slips in September than in August, when the number was at its five-month high, but layoffs were up significantly compared to a year ago.
According to recruitment firm Challenger, Gray, and Christmas, U.S.-based employers announced nearly 73,000 job cuts in September. While this was down by 4 percent from the previous month’s 75,891, the layoffs were up by 53 percent from last year.
In the first nine months of 2024, personnel reductions rose by 0.8 percent year over year, to 609,242, surpassing the prior year’s running tally for the first time this year. This is the highest level since 2020, when more than 2 million layoffs were announced between January and September….