Layoff roundup: week ended Nov. 7.

Byline: Emily Burg

October was a bad month for workers, with announced layoffs in the U.S. rising to 176,010 after touching a 22-month low in September. The October figure is the second highest so far this year, behind January's 212,704, according to a survey by outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. The number of job cuts announced last month was 151% higher than September's 70,057, which was the lowest monthly total since November 2000.

U.S. Labor Department figures show initial jobless claims dropped by 20,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 390,000, but the four-week moving average moved up to 402,000. It was the 10th week in a row …