Global| Jan 09 2014Challenger Job Cut Announcements Decline to Lowest Level Since 2000
by:Tom Moeller
|in:Economy in Brief
Summary
The outplacement firm of Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported that job cut announcements fell to 30,623 (-5.9% y/y) during December. It was the lowest level since June 2000. Layoffs fell m/m the retail, transportation, food, energy, [...]
The outplacement firm of Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported that job cut announcements fell to 30,623 (-5.9% y/y) during December. It was the lowest level since June 2000. Layoffs fell m/m the retail, transportation, food, energy, media, services, aerospace, commodities, education, entertainment/leisure, health care, pharmaceutical and industrial goods industries. These were offset by increases in the computer, consumer products, automotive, chemical, government and telecommunications industries.
During the last five years there has been a 75% correlation between the level of job cut announcements and the m/m change in household unemployment.
Challenger also samples firms' hiring plans. They fell to 11,362 due to sharp pullbacks in the insurance, pharmaceutical, telecommunications, electronics, apparel, consumer products, financial and industrial goods industries. These were offset by increases in the computer, food and health care industries.
The Challenger figures are available in Haver's SURVEYS database.
| Challenger, Gray & Christmas | Dec | Nov | Oct | Y/Y% | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Announced Job Cuts | 30,623 | 45,314 | 45,730 | -5.9 | 509,051 | 523,362 | 606,082 |
| Announced Hiring Plans | 11,362 | 14,177 | 87,874 | -30.1 | 764,206 | 630,447 | 537,572 |
Tom Moeller
AuthorMore in Author Profile »Prior to joining Haver Analytics in 2000, Mr. Moeller worked as the Economist at Chancellor Capital Management from 1985 to 1999. There, he developed comprehensive economic forecasts and interpreted economic data for equity and fixed income portfolio managers. Also at Chancellor, Mr. Moeller worked as an equity analyst and was responsible for researching and rating companies in the economically sensitive automobile and housing industries for investment in Chancellor’s equity portfolio. Prior to joining Chancellor, Mr. Moeller was an Economist at Citibank from 1979 to 1984. He also analyzed pricing behavior in the metals industry for the Council on Wage and Price Stability in Washington, D.C. In 1999, Mr. Moeller received the award for most accurate forecast from the Forecasters' Club of New York. From 1990 to 1992 he was President of the New York Association for Business Economists. Mr. Moeller earned an M.B.A. in Finance from Fordham University, where he graduated in 1987. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from George Washington University.
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