Planned Layoffs Fell 39% in November

Chicago, IL, December 4, 2015—After a four-month stretch that saw more than a quarter of a million job cuts announced by U.S.-based firms, planned layoffs in November fell to the lowest level in more than a year, according to the report released Thursday by global outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

The nation’s employers announced workforce reductions totaling 30,953 in November, 39% fewer than the 50,504 planned job cuts in October. Last month’s layoff total was 14% lower than November 2014, when 35,940 job cuts were reported.

November represents the smallest job-cut month since 30,477 planned cuts were announced in September 2014. The 14-month low comes on the heels of a four-month period during which 256,263 job cuts were recorded.

To date, employers have announced 574,888 job cuts in 2015. That is 28% more than the 450,531 job cuts announced through November 2014. With just one month remaining in the year, job cuts are on pace to be the heaviest since 2009, when 1,272,030 layoffs were tabulated.

While oil-related job cuts have dominated the headlines in 2015, they accounted for just 1,355 in November, the fewest since June (278).

Industrial goods ranked as the top job-cutting industry last month, with firms in the sector announcing 7,398 planned layoffs. That is up 109% from the 3,390 job cuts announced in this sector in October.

Industrial goods firms have announced 54,845 job cuts so far this year. That ranks fourth behind energy (92,727), government (70,029), and retail (65,609).