Survey indicates more U.S. job cuts ahead

NEW YORK, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. employers say they are cutting even more jobs as the economy sours, a consultant firm that monitors employment figures said Wednesday.

Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. said companies announced in September they expected to shed 95,094 jobs, up 7.2 percent form the 88,736 lost in August and a 33-percent jump from the same period of last year, CNN reported.

The September figure brought the total for the third quarter to 287,142, the most since 2005, the firm said.

Leading the way down was the computer industry, which was expected to cut 25,715 jobs.

The auto industry intends to eliminate drop 14,595 jobs, while the apparel industry announced 8,350 cuts and the financial sector dropped 8,244 positions, Challenger, Gray & Christmas said.

Surprisingly, planned job cuts were relatively modest in the financial sector, the report said, despite the turmoil that plagued the nation's financial institutions during the month.