Though employers are still handing out pink slips, they're doing it less than this time last year, according to job cut numbers released today by outplacement consultancy Challenger Gray & Christmas.

Though employers announced plans to cut 39,358 jobs in June, a 1.4 percent increase over May, it's the third month in a row with job cuts below 40,000. Year to date employers have announced about 297,700 job cuts, 67 percent fewer than the first half of 2009.

“Job cuts this year have declined for each of the top-five job-cutting industries. Even cuts in the government and non-profit sector are down, albeit not as dramatically as the other leading job-cut sectors. This certainly bodes well for the job market as we enter the second half of 2010,” said Challenger.