Layoffs hit 3-year high in April as energy cuts surge
CNBC - May 07, 2015
Layoffs surged in April to the highest level in three years as energy sector employers announced a fresh wave of job cuts.
U.S.-based companies said they would let go 61,582 workers last month, the most since May 2012, according to a report by global outsourcing firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
The oil price rout continued to account for the bulk of workforce reductions. Challenger, Gray & Christmas attributed 20,675 to the effect of crude prices, with most of the layoffs occurring within the energy sector.
In April, oilfield services firm Schlumberger announced it would lay off 11,000 additional employees, having already slashed 9,000 positions.
Employers have cut 201,796 positions this year, a 25 percent increase from the same period last year, when companies handed out 161,639 pink slips.
