The latest uptick brought the four-week average of initial claims to its highest level since August 2023. “And that metric of permanent job losers, year-over-year, is almost never positive in an expansion. US-based employers announced fewer job cuts last month than they did in May; however, those layoff reports are trending well above last year’s, according to data released Wednesday by Challenger, Gray & Christmas. The outplacement and workplace research firm counted 48,786 cuts announced in June. That’s down nearly 24% from the 63,618 cuts announced in May, but 19.8% higher than the 40,709 cuts announced in June last year.