https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/04/job...ighest-level-to-start-a-year-in-a-decade.html
Total announced cuts hit 190,410, a 10.3 percent increase from the fourth quarter and 35.6 percent jump from the same period a year ago. The level was worst period overall since the third quarter of 2015 and the highest level for a first quarter since 2009 as the economy was still mired in the financial crisis.
The auto industry led by sector in March with 8,838 layoffs, followed by energy with 8,149 cuts. Financial firms were next with 4,884, while retail followed with 4,860. Retail has announced 46,061 cuts this year, an 18.5 percent decrease from the first quarter of 2018.
“Companies appear to be streamlining and updating their processes, and workforce reductions
are increasingly becoming a part of these decisions, ” Andrew Challenger, vice president of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, said in a statement. “Consumer behavior and advances in technology are driving many of these cuts.”
- Job layoffs hit 190,410 in the first quarter, a 35.6 percent increase over the previous year and the worst first quarter since 2009, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
- The report comes a day before the government’s nonfarm payrolls count, which is expected to show growth of 175,000.
Total announced cuts hit 190,410, a 10.3 percent increase from the fourth quarter and 35.6 percent jump from the same period a year ago. The level was worst period overall since the third quarter of 2015 and the highest level for a first quarter since 2009 as the economy was still mired in the financial crisis.
The auto industry led by sector in March with 8,838 layoffs, followed by energy with 8,149 cuts. Financial firms were next with 4,884, while retail followed with 4,860. Retail has announced 46,061 cuts this year, an 18.5 percent decrease from the first quarter of 2018.
“Companies appear to be streamlining and updating their processes, and workforce reductions
are increasingly becoming a part of these decisions, ” Andrew Challenger, vice president of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, said in a statement. “Consumer behavior and advances in technology are driving many of these cuts.”