July 1997 — 1997-10-09

In July 1997, there were 1,506 mass layoff actions by employers as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Department of Labor�s Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Preliminary figures may not include all states.) Each action involved at least 50 persons from a single establishment, and the number of workers involved totaled 185,876 persons. Both the number of layoff events and claimants for unemployment insurance were about the same as in July 1996. (See table 1.) The monthly series in this release covers mass layoffs of 50 or more workers beginning in a given month, regardless of duration of the layoff. See the Technical Note for more detailed definitions.