Second Quarter — 1999-09-21

In April through June of 1999, there were 1,430 mass layoff actions by employers that resulted in the separation of 286,436 workers from their jobs for more than 30 days, according to preliminary figures released by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. Both the number of layoff events and the number of separations were sharply lower than in April-June 1998, when there were strike-related plant shutdowns in the transportation equipment and electronic equipment industries. (See table A.) The completion of seasonal work was the major reason cited for layoffs and accounted for 37 percent of all second-quarter 1999 events and 39 percent of all separations. Layoffs due to internal company restructuring resulted in 63,140 separations. Permanent closure of worksites occurred in 13 percent of all events and affected 39,976 workers, up from 34,834 workers in the same period a year earlier.