By Kevin Kastner
WASHINGTON (MNI) – There were 38,326 layoff intentions announced in
April, down from 67,611 in March and from the 132,590 job cuts announced
in April 2009, job placement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas, Inc.
said in a report released Wednesday. The data are not seasonally
adjusted.
Layoffs in April were led by the government sector, which reported
14,973 job reductions in the month. Challenger noted that the Federal
Government actually added workers in the month, while state and local
governments remained under budgetary pressures.
“We have not seen job cuts this low since before the 2001
recession,” said John Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger,
Gray & Christmas.
“It is certainly a promising trend that suggests most employers are
increasingly confident about conditions going forward and slowing the
pace of job cutting. However, this does not necessarily mean a hiring
boom is just around the corner,” he added.
In other data released, hiring intentions rose to 15,654 in April
from 13,994 in March, but were down from 27,062 in April 2009. April
hiring plans were led by the financial sector.
** Market News International Washington Bureau: 202-371-2121 **
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