The toll in job losses was higher than corporate analysts had projected, according to the Associated Press.

The official unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.8 percent, as nearly a half million people gave up looking for work last month and so were not included in the government figure on joblessness. Since the fall of 2001, the official unemployment rate has stood at or near 6 percent, which is the highest in 8 years. In addition to those who have given up looking for work entirely, there was a jump of half a million in the number of those who couldn’t find a steady job and instead took a part-time position.

Job prospects in manufacturing continued to decline, the government agency reported, with a drop of 36,000 jobs in March. Corporate cutbacks have resulted in the loss of 2.5 million jobs in industry since the high point in April 1998.

There were also job losses in the service sector and among government workers. A small increase in jobs in construction and mortgage banking in March was caused by a rise in the sales and refinancing of houses, the Associated Press report states.

On April 7, Verizon notified members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers that it considers 1,000 jobs at the telecommunications giant to be "surplus," blaming a "weak economy" and competition from MCI WorldCom, AT&T, and others. The company announcement follows on the heels of a "surplus declaration" last year that cost more than 400 workers their jobs. Meanwhile, Verizon in New York claims a backlog for fast Internet and other services to justify long delays in filling orders.

While Exxon Mobil did not say how many it intends to lay off among the 1,400 workers at its refinery and chemical plant in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Northwest Airlines announced plans to cut 4,900 jobs. The Minnesota-based carrier, shortly after notifying the work force that more than 10 percent would be out of a job, gave $2.5 million in bonuses and stock options on top of $500,000 salaries to its two chief executives.

Meanwhile, American Airlines, the world’s largest airline, is using the threat of bankruptcy and the loss of jobs as a lever to press for cuts in wages and benefits from its employees. Ramp workers, mechanics, flight attendants, and pilots are voting on company demands for $1.6 billion in concessions. United Airlines and other companies have used bankruptcy for similar ends.  
 
 
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