Mass Layoffs In June 2004 — 2004-07-22

In June 2004, employers took 1,379 mass layoff actions, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, accord- ing 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 134,588. (See table 1.) Both the number of events and initial claims were lower than a year ago. The number of mass layoff events and the number of associated initial claims were at their lowest levels for any June since 1999. From January through June 2004, the total number of events, at 8,114, and of initial claims, at 795,612, were lower than in January-June 2003 (9,860 and 956,589, respectively). Elementary and secondary schools, with 12,614 initial claims, and school and employee bus transportation, with 12,498 initial claims, together accounted for 19 percent of all initial claims in June.