September layoffs surged as U.S.-based employers announced plans to slash 58,877 jobs.
According to the global outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas, September layoffs were up 43% from August. The total was also up 93% from September 2014, when 30,477 planned layoffs were announced.
September's tally is the third largest of 2015, behind only July (105,696) and April (61,582).
Overall, 205,759 jobs cuts were announced in Q3. That marked the largest job-cut quarter since Q3 2009, when 240,232 layoffs were announced.
Year to date, employers have announced 493,431 planned layoffs. That's up 36% from the 363,408 cuts announced in the same period last year. In fact, 2015's YTD total is already 2% higher than 2014's full-year total of 483,171.
Oil companies had dominated the layoff tallies in 2015's first two quarters. But many of the September layoffs came from the public sector and the computer industry.
The computer industry saw the steepest job cuts in September, thanks to Hewlett-Packard Co.'s (NYSE: HPQ) 30,000 layoffs. In total, the industry saw 32,500 job cuts last month. That's the highest one-month tally for the industry since IBM announced 60,000 job cuts in 1993.
For the year, the biggest job cutting sector is energy, with 72,708 planned job cuts reported since Jan. 1. While the pace has slowed, the sector still looks vulnerable.
"We could see more fallout, which appears to have its origins in China, which after years of building up its national infrastructure appears to now have far too much capacity," the Challenger, Gray & Christmas report said. "As a result, manufacturing plants, retail stores, and even entire apartment buildings are sitting empty."
Here's a look at some of the most notable companies on the September layoffs list...
The Most Notable September Layoffs
Baker Hughes Inc. (NYSE: BHI) notified officials in North Dakota on Sept. 27 that it was permanently terminating 117 employees, most of them field operators and specialists. The Houston-based company has laid off 13,000 employees since late 2014 as it deals with slowing activity in the oil industry.
Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) reported on Sept. 29 it will layoff "a couple hundred jobs." The Charlotte, N.C.-based bank cited fresh cost-cutting efforts as the reason for the latest job cuts.
Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) announced on Sept. 24 it would cut up to 5,000 jobs by the end of 2016. The bulk of those layoffs are expected to occur this year. The world's biggest construction and mining equipment company warned the total layoff tally could swell to more than 10,000 through 2018.
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Chesapeake Energy Corp. (NYSE: CHK) said on Sept. 29 it will reduce its workforce by 15%, or 740 individuals, amid falling natural gas and crude oil prices.
Groupon Inc. (Nasdaq: GRPN) will lay off about 1,100 people, or 10% of its staff, over the next year. The daily deals site said on Sept. 22 the job cuts are part of the company's bigger plan to consolidate its technology systems and operations and eliminate non-lucrative international markets from its business.
Halliburton Co. (NYSE: HAL) said in an internal memo on Sept. 28 it expects to announce additional layoffs. The oil services giant, in the midst of completing a merger with Baker Hughes, has already slashed 14,000 jobs, or 16% of its workforce, since oil prices started plunging in 2014.
Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ) on Sept. 15 reported it will slash up to 30,000 jobs as it prepares to split into two publicly traded companies. That's more job cuts than at any other U.S. company this year. The once-iconic company has shed 85,000 jobs since Meg Whitman became Chief Executive Officer in 2011.
Johnson Controls Inc. (NYSE: JCI) reported on Sept. 18 it will cut 2.5% of its total workforce over the next two years. The global manufacturer said it plans to lay off 3,000 workers globally, with the goal of saving $250 million per year.
Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE: MRO) said on Sept. 10 it will let go 40 people as it scales back plans to explore for oil and gas in conventional plays. The job cuts are a small addition to Marathon's layoff of 400 employees earlier this year, and bring its YTD staff reductions to 13% of its workforce.
Seagate Technology Plc. (Nasdaq: STX) announced on Sept. 10 that, due to the sliding market for personal computers, the tech giant will shed 1,050 jobs.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) announced on Sept. 30 it will lay off hundreds of people at its Arkansas headquarters in a move to trim costs. The cuts from the world's largest retailer follow a weak Q2 earnings report and a 24.8% decline in its stock price.
Whole Foods Market Inc. (Nasdaq: WFM) said on Sept. 28 it will lay off 1,500 workers over the next several weeks as the natural foods grocer deals with aggressive rivals and shrinking same-store sales gains.
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