Mass Layoffs In March 2007 — 2007-04-20

In March, employers took 1,276 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 re- ported today. Each action involved at least 50 persons from a single es- tablishment; the number of workers involved totaled 130,687, on a season- ally adjusted basis. The number of mass layoff events decreased by 4 from the prior month, and the number of associated initial claims fell by 13,290. During March, 420 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sec- tor, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 54,441 initial claims. Compared with the prior month, mass layoff events in manufacturing remained about the same and initial claims decreased by 9,631. (See table 1.) The national unemployment rate was 4.4 percent in March, essentially un- changed from 4.5 percent the prior month and down from 4.7 percent a year earlier.