Mass Layoffs In April 2006 — 2006-05-23

In April 2006, employers took 1,148 mass layoff actions, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Each action involved at least 50 persons from a single establishment, and the number of workers involved totaled 118,504, on a seasonally adjusted basis. (See table 1.) The number of layoff events rose by 66, and the number of associated initial claims decreased by 51 from March 2006. In the manufacturing sector, 358 mass layoff events were reported during April 2006, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 48,086 initial claims. The number of events in manufacturing was higher than a month earlier, while the number of initial claims decreased. (See table 1.) In April 2006, the national unemployment rate was 4.7 percent, season- ally adjusted, unchanged from March and down from 5.1 percent in April 2005.