Job cuts announced so far this year are down 24 percent from a year ago, according to statistics released today by Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc.

Through the first four months of 2011, employers announced a total of 167,239 job cuts, or an average of about 41,800 per month. Last year, job cuts averaged nearly 55,000 per month. In 2009, employers announced an average of 177,775 job cuts per month between January and April.

Challenger expects improving job stability to lead to increased travel plans during the summer, though high gasoline prices will likely keep people closer to home.