U.S. companies experienced a mixed bag in recent employment trends, according to data released by ADP Research. The average weekly layoffs reached 2,500 employees over the four weeks ending November 1st, suggesting a softening labor market in late October. However, this is countered by the private sector’s growth of 42,000 jobs on November 5th after two consecutive declines. Analysts expect the September employment report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to reveal an increase of 55,000 new positions compared to the previous month. This comes in the wake of major layoffs announced by companies like Amazon and Target before ADP’s weekly data release. Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported that planned layoffs for October reached their highest level in over two decades.