Mass Layoffs In May 2005 — 2005-06-23

In May 2005, employers took 1,196 mass layoff actions, 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 establishment, and the number of workers involved totaled 128,771, on a seasonally adjusted basis. (See table 1.) The number of layoff events fell by 78, and the number of associated initial claims decreased by 8,066 from April. In the manufacturing sector, 359 mass layoff events were reported during May 2005, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 53,243 initial claims. Both figures were lower than a month earlier. (See table 1.) From January through May 2005, the total number of events (seasonally adjusted), at 6,249, and initial claims (seasonally adjusted), at 665,130, were lower than in January-May 2004 (6,643 and 678,344, respectively).