Job seekers wait in line for a job fair June 4, 2009 in Chicago. (Credit: Scott Olson / Getty Images)
CHICAGO (WBBM) – Government agencies still are downsizing but a Chicago research firm reports that overall, employers are cutting fewer jobs.
As WBBM Newsradio 780′s Regine Schlesinger reports, the latest report from Challenger, Gray and Christmas finds that this month, government sector job cuts rose to their highest level in 12 months.
LISTEN: Newsradio 780′s Regine Schlesinger reports
Still, the pace of downsizing dropped 39 percent from a year ago.
From January through March of this year, employers cut more than 130,000 jobs, 28 percent lower than last year and the lowest first-quarter count since 1995.
The public sector dominated the monthly job cuts, accounting for almost half of March layoffs.
Governments and non-profit agencies slashed 19,000 jobs this month –17 percent more than in February, but significantly down from the 50,000 job cuts last year at this time.
