RENEE MONTAGNE, host:
NPR's business news starts with layoffs and more layoffs. The Labor Department is releasing the latest unemployment figures today. Economists are bracing for the report to show that companies slashed more than 300,000 jobs last month. And the overall unemployment rate may have risen to 6.8 percent. This report won't include yesterday's layoff announcements. Among other companies AT&T said it's cutting 12,000 jobs. And chemical maker DuPont says it's cutting 2,500 people from its payroll. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.