December 1997 — 1998-02-20

In December 1997, there were 1,608 mass layoff actions by employers as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, according to preliminary 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 170,110 workers were involved. (Preliminary figures may not include all states.) Both the number of layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance were lower than in December 1996. (See table 1.) The monthly data in this release cover mass layoffs of 50 or more workers beginning in a given month, regardless of the duration of the layoffs. Information on the length of the layoff is obtained later and issued in a quarterly release that reports on mass layoffs lasting more than 30 days (referred to as "extended mass layoffs") and provides more information on the industry classification and location of the establishment and on the demographics of the laid-off workers.