The report, citing research from executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, indicated that a January with poor hiring numbers might indicate trouble for the labor market in the coming year.
January layoffs totaled 82,307, a jump of 136% from December, but down 20% year over year.
Technology and finance were the hardest hit sectors. Jobless claims totaled 224,000 for the last week of January, up 9,000 from the previous week.
