Challenger Job Cut Count Higher But Skewed By HP Layoffs

A mass 30,000 layoff announcement at Hewlett-Packard skewed Challenger's September count upward, to 58,877 vs August's 41,186. The layoff count is now heading for the highest total since 2009 with the year-to-date count, at 493,431, already higher than all of last year. Challenger's data belie what are very low rates of unemployment and jobless claims.