Florida job cuts tripled in January from a year ago

Florida’s employers last month cut nearly triple the jobs they eliminated a year ago, with the ax falling most frequently outside Broward and Palm Beach counties, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a Chicagobased outsourcing company that tracks work force trends.

Statewide, employers said good-bye to 1,572 workers in January, compared with 554 in the same month a year ago, Challenger reported.

The largest job cuts came in Ellenton, as the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus announced it was closing at a cost of 400 jobs.

In South Florida, job eliminations included 253 at Oceanside Extended Care Center in Miami Beach, which is closing; 129 at Swiss Watch International, which ceased operations in Miramar; and 48 at Equity One in North Miami Beach, the commercial real estate investment firm that is restructuring, according to Challenger’s summary.

While retailers overall in Florida trimmed workers in January, the job cuts — mainly at Macy’s — were principally outside of South Florida.

Macy’s job cuts included 80 in Tampa, 92 in Sarasota and 100 in Orlando, according to a Florida WARN Act notice for January. The New York-based retailer announced last month it would close its CityPlace store by yearend, which will affect 72 employees. The retailer announced plans last year to close 100 stores by the end of 2017.

Nationwide, employers announced plans to cut payrolls by 45,934 in January. But that was a 39 percent decrease from a year ago when employers eliminated 75,114 jobs, Challenger said.

Of the job cuts, 49 percent were from retailers, which have been struggling to compete with online shopping.

“Overall, it was a solid holiday shopping season, but several retailers, including Macy’s were unable to capitalize on stronger consumer confidence and spending,” said John Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray & Christmas.