The good news: The number of layoffs in the US has improved since last year: By the end of July in 2017 there were 255,000 in total, while by the same time in 2016 there were 360,000. The bad news: Per a 24/7 Wall St. analysis, there are still some companies that employees may need to be warier of than others when it comes to job security. The site looked at monthly job loss data culled from the Challenger, Gray & Christmas executive outplacement firm and found that the retail and energy sectors have been handing out the most pink slips of late. Here, the top five companies in terms of layoffs (which 24/7 Wall. St. notes don't have to exclusively take place in the US), along with the total number of employees and how many were laid off in 2017 through the end of July: