Employers in 2010 Announced Fewest U.S. Job Cuts in 13 Years

Employers in 2010 announced the fewest job cuts since 1997 as the U.S. economy recovered from the worst recession since the 1930s, a private survey showed.

There were 529,973 planned firings last year, down 59 percent from 2009 when job cuts reached a seven-year high, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. The Chicago-based outplacement firm said December firings dropped 29 percent from the same month a year earlier.