June 2000 — 2000-08-15

In June 2000, there were 1,597 mass layoff actions by employers 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 192,025. (See table 1.) The number of layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance were the highest for the month of June since this series began in April 1995, due, in part, to a calendar effect. June 2000 contained 5 weeks for possible mass layoffs compared with 4 weeks in each of the prior 4 Junes. From January through June 2000, the total number of layoff events (7,470) was lower than in January-June 1999, while the total number of initial claimants (819,545) was somewhat higher.