March 1999 — 1999-05-20

In March 1999, there were 799 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 84,719. Both the number of layoff events and the number of initial claimants for unemployment insurance were somewhat higher in March 1999 than in March 1998. (See table 1.) The monthly series in this release covers mass layoffs of 50 or more workers beginning in a given month, regardless of the duration of the layoffs. Information on the length of the layoff is obtained later and issued in a quarterly release that reports on mass layoffs lasting more than 30 days (referred to as "extended mass layoffs") and provides more information on the industry classification and location of the estab- lishment and on the demographics of the laid-off workers.