MASS LAYOFFS IN FEBRUARY 2009

Employers took 2,769 mass layoff actions in February that resulted in the separation of 295,477 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 February increased by 542 from the prior month, while the number of associated initial claims increased by 57,575. Over the year, the number of mass layoff events increased by 1,100, and the associated initial claims increased by 112,439. In February, 1,235 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 152,618 initial claims. Over the month, mass layoff events in manufacturing increased by 497, and initial claims increased by 50,041. (See table 1.) Layoff events for all industries and for the manufacturing sector rose to their highest levels on record, with data available back to 1995.

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