Challenger: Records highest job cut in April

Job cuts announced by U.S.-based employers spiked to 671,129, the highest single-month total on record. Challenger began tracking job cut announcements in January 1993. Last month’s total was primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which was cited as the reason for 633,082 job cuts, according to a monthly report released Thursday from global outplacement and business and executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

April’s total is 202% higher than the 222,288 job cuts announced in March and 1,577% higher than the 40,023 cuts announced in the same month last year. It is 170% higher than the previous record monthly total of 248,475 job cuts tracked in January of 2002.

So far this year, 1,017,812 job cuts have been announced, 342% higher than the 230,433 announced in the first four months of 2019. It is the highest January-April total on record, and 43% higher than the previous record January-April total of 711,100 announced in the first four months of 2009.

Prior to the last two months, individual job cut events in a given month averaged 252. In April, Challenger tracked nearly 2,600 job cut events after 1,070 in March.

The vast majority of cuts came from companies in the Entertainment/Leisure sector, which includes bars, restaurants, hotels, and amusement parks. So far this year, these companies have announced 415,206 cuts, 5,783% higher than the 7,058 announced in the first four months of 2019; 400,985 of these cuts were due to COVID-19.

Retailers have announced the second-highest number of job cuts this year with 114,327, 86,982 of which are due to COVID-19. This is 138% higher than the 48,076 cuts announced through the same period last year.

The Services sector, which includes companies that provide catering, linen, marketing, and administrative services, announced 73,137 cuts in 2020, 811% higher than the 8,032 cuts announced through the same period in 2019.

The Automotive sector, including makers, suppliers, and dealers, which prior to the pandemic was seeing fallout from a trade war, shifting consumer behavior, and automation, has cut 56,292 jobs in 2020, up 184% from the 19,802 cuts announced through April last year.

The COVID-19 pandemic is not the only cause for job cuts, although it is the reason for the vast majority. The ongoing downturn in oil was cited for 10,041 cuts in April and a total of 11,310 for the year. Company and plant closings have claimed 60,959 jobs this year. Restructuring was blamed for another 46,751 cuts, and market conditions claimed another 19,672.