January Job Cuts 24% Lower Than a Year Ago

John Challenger of Challenger, Gray & Christmas

The nation’s employers announced plans to cut payrolls by 40,430 jobs in January, up 24 percent from 32,556 in December, according to the latest report on planned job cuts released Thursday by global outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

While January job cuts were up from the previous month, they were 24 percent lower than the 53,486 layoffs announced by employers the same month a year ago.  This was, in fact, the third lowest January total in Challenger records going back to 1993.  The only years to see fewer January job cuts were 1995 (38,962) and 2011 (38,519). Continue Reading

Private Sector Employment Increased Whopping 215,000 in December

2001-12 Change in Total Nonfarm Private Employment

Private sector employment increased by 215,000 jobs from November to December, according to the December ADP National Employment Report®, which is produced by Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP®), a leading provider of human capital management solutions, in collaboration with Moody’s Analytics. The report, which is derived from ADP’s actual payroll data, measures the change in total nonfarm private employment each month on a seasonally-adjusted basis. The November 2012 report, which reported job gains of 118,000, was revised upward by 30,000 to 148,000 jobs.

Goods-producing employment rose by 28,000 jobs in December as a large gain in construction jobs of 39,000 more than offset the 11,000 decline in manufacturing employment. Service-providing jobs increased by 187,000. Among the service industries reported by the ADP National Employment Report, trade/transportation/utilities services had the largest gain with 53,000 jobs added over the month. Professional/business services added 37,000 jobs and financial activities added 14,000 jobs in December. Continue Reading

December Layoffs Lowest Since 1997

John Challenger of Challenger, Gray & Christmas

After three consecutive months of  increased layoff activity, the number of  planned job cuts announced in December plunged to 32,556, the second lowest monthly total of 2012.  Overall, the year ends with the lowest 12-month job-cut total since 1997, according to the latest report from global outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

The 32,556 planned job cuts announced last month were 43 percent fewer than the 57,081 November cuts.  The December total was 22 percent lower than a year ago, when employers announced 41,785 in the final month of the year.  The only month in 2012 to see fewer job cuts than December was August, when job cuts totaled 32,239.

Despite the December decline, planned layoffs in the fourth quarter were up 33 percent from the previous quarter.  Employers announced 137,361 job cuts in the final three months of year, compared to 102,910 in the third quarter.  The third-quarter total was the lowest quarterly total since 81,568 job cuts were announced in the second quarter of 2000. Continue Reading

Retailers Hired 465,500 Seasonal Works in November — All-Time Record

John Challenger of Challenger, Gray & Christmas

Retailers added 465,500 seasonal workers in November, the most ever added during what is typically the busiest hiring month of the holiday hiring season, according to an analysis of non-seasonally adjusted data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics by global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

The net gain in retail employment achieved last month barely surpassed the previous record set in 2007, when retail payrolls grew by 465,400 workers during the month of November.    Continue Reading

Layoffs Down 19% From 2011 and Lowest Since 1997

Downsizing activity remained relatively flat in September as US-based employers announced plans to cut 33,816 jobs from their payrolls during the month.  That was up 4.9 percent from a 20-month low of 32,239 job cuts in August, according to the latest report released Thursday by global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

Last month’s total was 71 percent lower than a year ago, when planned job cuts unexpectedly surged to a 29-month high of 115,730.   It was, in fact, the lowest September total since 1997 when only 20,698 were announced.

September brings to an end one of the slowest job-cut quarters in over a decade.  Employers announced 102,910 job cuts in the third quarter, down 27 percent from the previous quarter (139,997), and 56 percent lower than the third quarter of 2011 (233,258).  It was the lowest quarterly total since the second quarter of 2000, when planned layoffs numbered 81,568.

Employers have now announced 386,001 planned job cuts in 2012, which is 19 percent fewer than the 479,064 job cuts recorded by this point last year.  One has to go back to 1997 to find fewer job cuts announced through the first nine months of the year.  That year, employers announced 281,496 job cuts through September.

Contributing to the decline in monthly job cut figures is the significant drop-off in the number of layoffs announced by the government sector.  These employers announced just 14,186 job cuts through September, compared to 119,027 by this point in 2011.  Continue Reading

6 Tips to Snatch a Seasonal Job

Help Wanted, Now Hiring signs. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

With the holidays rapidly approaching, employers will be looking for some extra help.  That means job seekers should prepare themselves for potential opportunities.  Here are six tips to help you in your seasonal job search. Continue Reading

Job Searching during the Holidays!

Whether you are just starting your job search, are in the middle of it, or just considering a career switch, do not put it off until after the holidays. In fact the holidays might just give you the push you need.  If you want to hear it directly from a professional, “We look for the candidate that does everything possible to land a job and never takes time off to do so including the Holiday season” says  Jane Swansea, HR Director at Preferred Electrical. Here are certain things you should keep in mind with respect to continuing your job search during the break. Continue Reading

Holiday Hiring Strongest Since 2007

Holiday retail hiring, which remained flat in October, surged last month as employment in the sector increased by 423,500 in November*. That is the largest November employment gain since 465,400 workers were added in 2007, according to the latest analysis of non-seasonally adjusted data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics by global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

The 423,500 seasonal workers added to retail payrolls last month was up 27 percent from a year ago, when retail employment grew by 332,700 in November. It is nearly double the 213,500 retail workers added in November 2008, at the height of the recession. Continue Reading

Full-Time Employees vs. Seasonal Help – What Happens When The Two Clash

It’s estimated that 30% of businesses will be hiring extra help for the holidays.  While that extra help might seem to be a positive factor to help with the increased workload, one executive level consultant and author warns it could cause some serious issues for your team.

Deb Spicer, author of the best-selling book POWER TEAMS, says bringing in a mix of new people for the holidays can cause a flare up in negative behavior – varying from downright infuriating to outright disruptive.

Here are some of the most common negative behaviors to watch out for: Continue Reading

2011 Holiday Hiring Expected To Be About Same As 2010

The holiday hiring season is off to a relatively strong start in 2011, with retail employment growing by a non-seasonally adjusted 141,500 jobs in October, according an analysis of the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data by global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

The 141,500 retail job gains last month nearly matched the 144,100 retail jobs added in October 2010. The first month of holiday hiring both this year and last represent vast improvements over the recession years of 2007 through 2009, when retailers added an average of just 57,200 seasonal workers in October. In 2008 — the worst holiday-hiring season in 22 years — retailers added only 38,600 seasonal workers in October and only 324,000 total workers during entire holiday season of October through December. Continue Reading