Job cuts to swell this summer

Art Institute and Aramark in South Florida contribute to 2,547 layoffs statewide

South Florida’s job-cut count swelled in July due to 148 layoffs at the Art Institute in Fort Lauderdale and 452 at Aramark catering at Florida International University in Miami.

Statewide, there were a total of 2,547 announced job cuts in July, according to the monthly report released Thursday by Chicagobased outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, which tracks layoff announcements by employers each month.

The company that owns the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale notified the state in July that it intends to lay off workers from Sept. 11 through Dec. 31, as part of a national phaseout of 30 campusbased programs.

Aramark spokesman Chris Collom on Thursday said the company’s agreement with FIU had ended but that “affected employees will have the opportunity to apply for positions with the university’s new provider.”

Grocery chain Safeway said it would lay off 452 workers statewide; C&S Wholesale Services, a wholesale grocer in Orlando, notified the state it would lay off 647; and CareSync, a health care coordination company in Tampa, said it would lay off 292.

Florida layoffs were up from 934 a year ago. Year-to-date layoffs were 10,710, up 11 percent from 9,618 for the same period in 2017, Challenger said.

But across the United States, layoffs fell to their lowest level of the year in July, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

“The economy is at near-full employment. Nearly 90 percent of companies recently polled by Challenger are either actively hiring or in retention mode. Companies are not letting go of their work forces right now,” said John Challenger, CEO Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

U.S.-based employers announced plans to lay off 27,122 workers in July, which was 4.2 percent lower than a year ago, according to Challenger.

Retailers continue to make the most job cuts, with 75,763 announced so far this year, or 18.4 percent higher than layoffs as of the same period last year.