Florida job cuts
more than doubled in June, but layoffs are down by 6 percent overall year-to-date compared to 2017.
In June, job cuts by Florida employers more than doubled compared with the same month a year ago, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas’ monthly report released Thursday.
But year-to-date, job cuts were down 6 percent from the same period a year ago: 8,163 compared with 8,684.
The lower job cuts from January to June show that employers are working to retain their labor forces in the face of a tight labor market, said John Challenger, CEO of the Chicago-based outplacement firm.
Few Central Florida employers planned large-scale job cuts in June, according to state reports under Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification requirements.
Hard Rock International has been relocating its headquarters to South Florida, with 184 jobs affected between late April and the end of this month. Other pending job cuts in Orlando that have been reported under WARN include:
328 at C&S Wholesale Services as soon as Aug. 27;
126 at McKesson as soon as July 31;
108 at Emeril’s Restaurant planned for Saturday.
State WARN notices are required for large-scale layoff plans, such as the closure of Emeril’s or the relocation of the McKesson jobs. WARN notices do not reflect small numbers of layoffs that can be more frequent.
Across the United States, monthly job cuts totaled 37,202, up 19.6 percent from the 31,105 announced in June 2017. Employers have announced 245,179 cuts through June — 8 percent more than the 227,000 cuts announced through June of last year.
Retailers continue to lead in job cuts, with 73,066 announced so far this year, said Challenger, which has tracked nearly 2,600 announced store closures.
While some retailers are closing stores, others are finding new positions for their employees as they use technology to enhance the shopping experience, Challenger said. JCPenney and Kohl’s have announced early hiring for the holidays in anticipation of a “more demanding holiday season” as consumers are more confident and may spend more, Challenger said.
But global trade fears and slow wage growth could hinder some of the optimism, Challenger said. Challenger tracked 60 job cuts specifically because of steel tariffs in June.
In a separate report Thursday, payroll firm ADP said private-sector employment increased by 177,000 jobs from May to June, compared with the addition of 124,00 jobs in the same month a year ago.