Extended Mass Layoffs (Quarterly) News Release — 2010-11-12

Employers initiated 1,297 mass layoff events in the third quarter of 2010 that result- ed in the separation of 187,091 workers from their jobs for at least 31 days, accord- ing to preliminary figures released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Over the year, both events and separations decreased sharply from program high third quarter levels (with data available back to 1995). (See table A.) Third quarter 2010 layoff data are preliminary and are subject to revision. (See the Technical Note.) Manufacturing accounted for 19 percent of private nonfarm extended layoff events and 18 percent of related separations in the quarter, the lowest third quarter proportions in program history. The average size of a layoff (as measured by separations per lay- off event) was 144 during the quarter, the smallest average size in program history. Forty-seven percent of employers expected to recall at least some laid-off workers, up from 31 percent a year earlier.