Research >> Economics
November Mass Layoffs total 1,797 actions, 165,346 workers
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Employers took 1,797 mass layoff actions in November that resulted in the separation of 165,346 workers, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Each action involved at least 50 persons from a single employer. The number of mass layoff events in November decreased by 330 from the prior month, and the number of associated initial claims decreased by 51,836, to their lowest levels since July 2008. However, year-to-date mass layoff events (27,669) and initial claims (2,792,736) both recorded program highs for a January to November period. (Data begin in April 1995.) In November, 481 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 56,243 initial claims. Both the number of events and initial claims in manufacturing decreased over the month.
During the 24 months from December 2007 through November 2009, the total number of mass layoff events (seasonally adjusted) was 51,154, and the number of initial claims filed (seasonally adjusted) in those events was 5,187,170. (December 2007 was the start of a recession as designated by the National Bureau of Economic Research.)
The national unemployment rate was 10.0 percent in November 2009, seasonally adjusted, down from 10.2 percent the prior month but up from 6.8 percent a year earlier. In November, total nonfarm payroll employment decreased by 11,000 over the month and by 4,759,000 from a year earlier.
Posted: December 22, 2009 Tuesday 10:00 AM