Planned Layoffs Lowest in September Since 2000

Challenger's count of layoff announcement totals 30,477 in September which is the lowest since all the way back in June 2000. The total compares with 40,010 in August and 40,289 in September last year. The total for the third quarter is 117,374, down slightly from 124,693 in the second quarter and vs 128,452 in the third quarter of last year. The drop in Challenger's count for September is dramatic but the decline for the trend is less so, yet the trend is in line with incremental improvement underway in jobless claims.