Job cuts decline in February

None were reported in South Florida

Florida employers trimmed 1,820 jobs in February compared with 1,834 a year ago. But none of last month’s job cuts were in South Florida, according to a report released Thursday by Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

Year-to-date, the state’s private employers announced 3,067 job cuts as of February, which was down from the 3,406 in the first two months of last year.

Across the nation, employers announced plans to cut 35,369 jobs in February, 4.3 percent lower than the 36,957 announced job cuts in February 2017, according to Challenger, a Chicagobased outplacement and executive coaching firm.

February’s numbers marked the lowest number of announced job cuts between January and February since 1995, when 69,907 cuts were announced.

“The economy is almost at full employment, and companies are holding on to their work forces,” said Challenger CEO John Challenger. “Announced job cuts have been below 50,000 a month for the last 22 months. That’s the longest streak in our tracking.”

The report said: “President Trump’s proposed new tariffs on steel and aluminum may spell more jobs in those industries in the short term. However, with automation dominating those industries, the tariffs will more likely cause companies that manufacture using those products, such as automotive and aerospace, to cut jobs.”

On Thursday, Bloomberg, the Associated Press and other national news outlets were reporting that Trump may exclude NAFTA partners Mexico and Canada from the tariffs, after more than 100 members of the Republican Party signed a letter asking him to reduce his plan.

Florida’s official unemployment numbers for February are scheduled to be released on March 23. Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity will release the January numbers on March 12.

mpounds@sunsentinel.com, 561-243-6650 or twitter: @marciabiz