Planned Job Cuts Grow In January

Wal-Mart's announcement last month that it is closing 154 U.S. stores drove Challenger's layoff count to an outsized 75,114 in January. This is the highest total since July last year. Retail, where holiday sales proved soft, leads the month's list of layoff announcements at 22,246 followed by the hard-hit energy sector at 20,103.