Mass Layoffs (Monthly) News Release — 2012-04-24

Employers took 1,273 mass layoff actions in March involving 121,310 workers, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Each mass layoff involved at least 50 workers from a single employer. Mass layoff events in March decreased by 20 from February, while the number of associated initial claims increased by 1,847. In March, 261 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 26,348 initial claims. Both manufacturing figures were lower when compared to February. (See table 1.) The national unemployment rate was 8.2 percent in March, little changed from the prior month but down from 8.9 percent a year earlier. Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 120,000 over the month and by 1,899,000 over the year. The number of mass layoff events in March was 1,125, not seasonally adjusted, resulting in 117,817 initial claims for unemployment insurance.