July Job Cuts Rise Sharply

N E W   Y O R K, Aug. 6 -- While the government's unemployment numbers are holding steady, the worst may be yet to come.

According to a report released today by outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., of Chicago, the number of announced job cuts in July reached a high since the economic slowdown of 2001 began, with roughly 206,000 layoffs in the month.

That's the highest one-month total Challenger, Gray & Christmas has noted since it began keeping track of the monthly numbers in 1993.

Unemployment Figures Remain Level

However, the report comes on the heels of the Labor Department's monthly job report, released on Friday, which showed unemployment holding steady at 4.5 percent in July.

"The unemployment numbers this month are flatter than Kansas," said Labor Secretary Elaine Chao on Friday.

Unemployment: The Ripple Effect

So why the discrepancy? For one thing, Challenger, Gray & Christmas is keeping track of announced layoffs, many of which have yet to take effect. Indeed, their numbers indicate that the worst is yet to come.

"Job cuts tell us as much about the economy's future as they do about the present," says Challenger's CEO, John A. Challenger, adding: "If companies were anticipating a 2001 turnaround, with an increase in demand for goods and services, we would not be witnessing the extraordinary number of job cuts that are taking place this year."

Additionally, the Challenger, Gray & Christmas numbers do not include the number of new U.S. hirings made, which also helps to account for the discrepancy between the number of layoffs and the unemployment figures in any given month.

"Some of those [job cuts] are overseas, and you don't know how many are going to be implemented, or how many workers will be absorbed elsewhere in the company," says Steve Cochran, a senior economist at Economy.com in West Chester, Pa.

Interactive Guide to the Economy

Telecom and Technology Workers Hit Hard

Still, the numbers reveal that not all sectors of the economy are being hit equally hard by the slowdown. The struggling telecommunications sector led the way in July with 44,908 announced layoffs in July. Other technology companies announced 26,321 layoffs in the month.