Mass Layoffs In October 2004 — 2004-11-24

In October 2004, employers took 1,241 mass layoff actions, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, according to 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 the number of workers involved totaled 127,774. (See table 1.) Both the number of events and initial claims were the lowest for any October since October 2000. Data for October 2004 were reported by all states and the District of Columbia, except Vermont. From January through October 2004, the total num- bers of events, 12,966, and initial claims, 1,315,320, were lower than in January-October 2003 (15,596 and 1,557,750, respectively). The 10 industries reporting the highest number of mass-layoff initial claims accounted for 37,670 initial claims in October, 29 percent of the total.