November 1998 — 1999-03-10

In November 1998, there were 1,278 mass layoff actions by employers as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, according to data from the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. Each action involved at least 50 persons from a single establishment, and the number of workers involved totaled 138,161. The number of layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance were higher in November 1998 than in November 1997. Also, the total of layoff events from January through November 1998 and the total number of initial claimants were somewhat higher than in the same period of 1997. (See table 1.) The monthly series in this release covers mass layoffs of 50 or more workers beginning in a given month, regardless of the duration of the layoffs.