layoff

A federal district court judge in Northern California on Wednesday granted an emergency order to temporarily pause the mass layoffs that occurred throughout the federal government.

More than 4,100 layoff notices went out more than a week ago, but a federal judge last Wednesday granted a temporary restraining order blocking such job cuts.

Economists, however, say falling car sales, shrinking foreign investment, contraction in manufacturing and reports of layoffs suggest economic activity is weakening, rather than strengthening.

It was the fourth round of layoffs in two years at the lab, which has struggled since Congress pulled funding for its flagship Mars Sample Return mission because of a ballooning budget and timeline.

The economy is still growing, for one thing, and that’s kept layoffs and unemployment surprisingly low.