Sprint, Pfizer, Home Depot, Caterpillar, Philips Electronics slash 60 Thousand Jobs

Yesterday US News and World Report calculated that Sprint, Pfizer, Home Depot, Caterpillar, and Philips Electronics slashed 60 Thousand Jobs.

Job Cuts Get Brutal: Sprint, Pfizer, Home Depot, Caterpillar
The job loss tally so far today: 54,500. Cuts are coming across industries as further weakness in the economy keeps major employers slashing away. On the same day it agreed to buy rival drugmaker Wyeth, Pfizer said it would cut 15 percent from its combined workforce (that's a bit less than 19,500 jobs). Meanwhile, Caterpillar is faring poorly in the global recession. It's cutting its workforce by 20,000 including 11 percent of its workforce, or 12,000 jobs, and 8,000 contractors. Home Depot, a lingering victim of the downturn in both consumer spending and housing, said it would slash another 7,000 jobs as it shutters its high-end EXPO business. And finally, Sprint Nextel is eliminating 14 percent of its workforce, or 8,000 jobs. Update: Add another 6,000 to the tally above. Philips Electronics is cutting too.