"The 66,414 job cuts last month were up 60 percent from the previous month, when employers announced plans to shed 41,432 workers. The July figure was 59 percent higher than the 41,676 layoffs recorded in July 2010. It was the largest monthly total since March 2010, when 67,611 job cuts were announced by the nation’s employers. The July job-cut surge was dominated by a flurry of large layoffs by a handful of private-sector employers, including Merck & Co., Borders, Cisco Systems, Lockheed Martin and Boston Scientific. The job cuts from these five companies alone accounted for 38,100 or 57 percent of the July total."

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“Sudden And Unexpected” Burst Of Downsizing Causes Layoffs To Explode Nearly 60% In July

You should always take one month blips with a grain of salt. This is highlighted by the fact that the ADP jobs report for July was mildly positive. However, what’s worrisome about this particular blip is that it’s not contained to any one sector or region. Also, excluding Borders, these are all stalwart companies with solid balance sheets, so this isn’t exactly a “trim down or die” layoff situation.