FIRST IN MT: GROWING MERGERS HARM JOB GROWTH — The dramatic increase in mergers in the past year threatens to lead to mass layoffs and could drive down wages in communities around the U.S., according to a new report from the American Economic Liberties Project, an anti-monopoly group.

The Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department are facing an influx of new mergers to review, with companies reporting 4,130 mergers to the two agencies in 2021— more than double the number from the previous year.