Mass Layoffs In June 2006 — 2006-07-20

In June 2006, employers took 1,097 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 119,662, on a seasonally adjusted basis. The number of layoff events increased by 23, and the number of associated initial claims rose by 9,804 from May 2006. In the manufacturing sector, 311 mass layoff events were reported during June 2006, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 37,570 initial claims. The num- ber of events in manufacturing was higher than a month earlier, while the number of initial claims decreased. (See table 1.) In June 2006, the national unemployment rate was 4.6 percent, seasonally adjusted, unchanged from May 2006 and down from 5.0 percent in June 2005.