A jump in job cuts in the computer and education sectors drove an increase in layoffs at U.S. firms in June, even as the pace of downsizing in the first half of the year improved overall, a report on Wednesday showed.
Employers announced 39,372 planned job cuts last month, up 8.2 percent from 36,398 in May, according to the report from consultants Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. June's layoffs were also up 4.8 percent from a year ago.
Still, the number of job cuts in the first half of the year was down 8.5 percent from the first six months of 2012.
With the third quarter typically a slow period for downsizing, that puts layoffs on track to see the second-lowest yearly total since 2000, said John Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
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