The pharmaceutical industry has eliminated 34,987 positions so far this year, second only to the goverment in total number of layoffs in 2010. That's the bad news. The good news? Companies laid off just 830 people in June. That's a massive plunge from May when 6,943 jobs were eliminated.
Pharma Layoffs by Month, 2010
| Month | Layoffs |
| January | 8,170 |
| February | 25,875 |
| March | 308 |
| April | 1,049 |
| May | 6,943 |
| June | 830 |
| TOTAL | 34,987 |
Outplacement consultancy firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas observe that the economy could be turning around. "Job cuts this year have declined for each of the top-five job-cutting industries. Even cuts in the government and non-profit sector are down, albeit not as dramatically as the other leading job-cut sectors. This certainly bodes well for the job market as we enter the second half of 2010," said CEO John Challenger. Still, the economy has a long way to go before the job market is back on track. Though one million Americans were added to payrolls in the last six months, seven million more are still unemployed after losing their jobs during the recession.
Top Five Industries, Year to Date
| Industry | 2010 | 2009 |
| Government/Non-Profit |
98,776 |
102,302 |
| Pharmaceutical |
34,987 |
51,549 |
| Retail |
26,181 |
85,698 |
| Computer |
16,964 |
51,461 |
| Telecommunications |
16,005 |
20,848 |
Chart courtesy of Challenger, Gray and Christmas
- here's the layoffs release