Summary Box: Layoffs slow, but jobless rate rises to 9.4 percent and will move higher

Summary Box: Layoffs slow as recession eases

JOB CUTS SLOW: Employers cut 345,000 jobs last month, the fewest since September and the fourth straight month that the pace of layoffs slowed.

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE RISES: The jobless rate rose to 9.4 percent, from 8.9 percent in April. It was the highest since August 1983.

WHAT’S IT ALL MEAN? Employers, many of whom downsized their work forces earlier in the recession, aren’t cutting nearly as many workers now. But employers won’t be inclined to hire again until they feel confident that their sales and profits — and the economy — are firmly back on track. The unemployment rate is expected to keep rising this year and peak next year at more than 10 percent.