Planned Layoffs In Line With Average

Challenger's layoff count for December came in at 43,844, down from 53,073 in November and in line with 2018's monthly average of 44,888. Though December was in line with the average, layoff announcements in 2018 as a whole were the highest in three years and the second highest since 2011. The rise in announcements, however, never led to much tangible increase in jobless claims which held, and continue to hold, near historic lows.