Research >> Economics
April Mass Layoffs total 2,712 actions, 271,226 workers
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Employers took 2,712 mass layoff actions in April that resulted in the separation of 271,226 workers, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Each action involved at least 50 persons from a single employer. The number of mass layoff events in April decreased by 221 from the prior month, and the number of associated initial claims decreased by 28,162. Compared to last year, the number of mass layoff events and associated initial claims more than doubled. In April, the manufacturing sector reported 1,111 mass layoff events, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 135,252 initial claims. Over the month, mass layoff events in manufacturing decreased by 148, and initial claims decreased by 20,657.
During the 17 months from December 2007 to April 2009, the total number of mass layoff events (seasonally adjusted) was 34,126, and the number of initial claims (seasonally adjusted) was 3,498,427. (December 2007 was the start of a recession as designated by the National Bureau of Economic Research.)
The national unemployment rate was 8.9 percent in April 2009, seasonally adjusted, up from 8.5 percent the prior month and from 5.0 percent a year earlier. In April, total nonfarm payroll employment decreased by 539,000 over the month and by 5,240,000 from a year earlier.
Posted: May 22, 2009 Friday 10:00 AM