Pharma cuts 2,023 jobs in July

Pharma layoffs climbed to 2,023 after dropping to just 830 in June, according to outplacement consultancy firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas. Overall, the industry has axed 37,010 jobs in 2010. That's a lot, but it's still 30 percent less than the 51,549 positions eliminated through the end of July 2009.

Pharma Layoffs by Month, 2010

Month Layoffs
January 8,170
February 25,875
March 308
April 1,049
May 6,943
June 830
July 2,023
TOTAL 37,010

Source: Challenger, Gray & Christmas

Though job cuts have grown slightly each month since hitting a low in April, CEO John Challenger doesn't think the increase is a sign that the economy is worsening. "The increases are so slight and the monthly totals so low when compared to recent years, that the trend in no way suggests a reversal of the significant slowdown in job-cut activity witnessed over the past year," he says in a release. However, "...seasonal trends indicate that monthly job cuts tend to get heavier late in the third quarter through the end of the year, as employers make last-minute adjustments to their payrolls to meet annual earnings goals." So don't be surprised if there's an uptick in pharma layoffs in the coming months. In July the industry announced plans to hire only 100 new workers.

Top Five Industries, Year to Date

Industry 2010 2009
Government/Non-Profit  

105,969

109,433

Pharmaceutical 37,010

52,683 

Retail 26,993

88,352 

Computer 19,098

61,578 

Telecommunications 17,596

53,145 

Source: Challenger, Gray & Christmas

- see the layoffs release
- get the full report (.pdf)