Extended Mass Layoffs (Quarterly) News Release — 2013-05-13

Employers in the private nonfarm sector initiated 914 mass layoff events in the first quarter of 2013 that resulted in the separation of 154,374 workers from their jobs for at least 31 days, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the year, total extended mass layoff events and associated worker separations were down from 1,294 and 246,956, respectively. Total events and separations both fell to their lowest first quarter levels on record (with first quarter data available back to 1996). (See table A.) First quarter 2013 layoff data are preliminary and are subject to revision. (See the Technical Note.) Manufacturing industries had 184 extended mass layoff events and 30,870 separations in the first quarter of 2013, due to both insufficient demand and the completion of seasonal work. Total events and separations in this sector declined to their lowest levels in program history (with quarterly data available back to 1995).